JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

"My aim throughout this study has been to concentrate on [Riley's] verse and prose, to discover in these the sources from which Riley created his money-making poetic styles, and to analyze the ways in which the poet adapted his sources in order to achieve popular acceptance. As a basis for discussion I have provided some preliminary observations on the place of the popular writer in literature and a biographical summary intended to give the reader some notion of the background from which Riley sprang; the type of audience for which he began to write; and the methods by which, as a writer and as a successful agent for his wares, he sought to achieve a national audience." [Preface] The British author thus employs a bag of critical tools not often found in Americana scholarship, and the results are not only satisfactory, but extensible. 174 pages, with Preface, Contents, Chronology, Notes and References, Selected Bibliography, and Index. Ex-Lib: markings include DDSC label under plastic wrap on backstrap, ISBN sticker taped over protector at rear, and loan pocket on rfEP. DJ and boards, otherwise, are clean and sound; text, otherwise, is clean and strong - as evidenced by pages 25-28 which are unopened (uncut by bookbinder).…