..". a thorough biography that should supplant all previous attempts tounderstand the man." -- H-Net Reviews

..". new, thoroughand highly readable... " -- Indianapolis Star

Fewliterary figures have achieved the fame of James Whitcomb Riley, the most popularpoet in America at the end of the 19th century -- the height of his career. Legendsand rumors either elevate Riley as a hero who gave Hoosiers pride of place, ordenigrate him as a drunken author of Victorian doggerel. In this first seriousmodern biography of Riley, Van Allen sifts facts from fiction to paint the truestportrait of this controversial poet.