An Old Sweetheart of Mine by James Whitcomb Riley | 1902

An Old Sweetheart of Mine by James Whitcomb Riley, illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy, published by The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1902. Condition is very good, presenting in extremely fine condition for a book of its age. Please see photos for full details.

Condition notes: there is only very slight wear to the cover edges, a charming "Merry Christmas" note on the inside cover page, and a small amount of number writing on the inside back cover. These are entirely minor and the book as a whole is in incredible condition throughout, with the illustrations presenting beautifully across every page.

James Whitcomb Riley was probably the most popular poet in the United States during the late 1880s, the 1890s, and throughout the early years of the twentieth century, known affectionately as both the Hoosier Poet and the Children's Poet. Since the mid-1880s, Riley had been the nation's most read poet, a trend that accelerated at the turn of the century, and the demand for his works was so large that the level of popularity he achieved has not since been surpassed by any poet in their lifetime. Riley received honorary degrees from Indiana University, the University of Pennsylvania, Wabash College, and Yale University, and when he died in 1916, thousands of Hoosiers lined the streets of Indianapolis to pay their respects as his hearse passed. An Old Sweetheart of Mine is one of his most beloved poems, a warm and nostalgic meditation on love, memory, and youth that became one of the defining sentimental works of its era.

The illustrations by Howard Chandler Christy are nothing short of spectacular, and this 1902 edition captures him at the very peak of his early career. Christy was an illustrator and portrait painter who created the celebrated "Christy Girl," an idealized American woman and successor to the "Gibson Girl," whose portraits included Amelia Earhart, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Calvin Coolidge. By 1910 Christy was earning some $50,000 a year, with numerous magazines commissioning illustrations from him, and he was among the most recognized artists of the time, providing illustrations for books and stories by authors including Jack London and H. G. Wells. His 1940 masterpiece, Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, now hangs in the United States Capitol, and he was later inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. This 1902 edition, illustrated with Christy's lush and romantic depictions of idealized womanhood, was published in the very period when the Christy Girl was first capturing the imagination of the American public, making it a particularly significant piece of his early illustrative output.

A wonderful and genuinely significant addition for collectors of American poetry, or illustration, Howard Chandler Christy works specifically, turn of the century gift books, or romantic illustrated Americana. The combination of America's most popular poet of his era and one of America's most celebrated illustrators in a single volume in near perfect condition makes this one of the most compelling listings in this entire collection.