James Whitcomb Riley: A Life

“… a thorough biography that should supplant all previous attempts to understand the man.” ―H-Net Reviews
“… new, thorough and highly readable… ” ―Indianapolis Star
Few literary figures have achieved the fame of James Whitcomb Riley, the most popular poet in America at the end of the 19th century―the height of his career. Legends and rumors either elevate Riley as a hero who gave Hoosiers pride of place, or denigrate him as a drunken author of Victorian doggerel. In this first serious modern biography of Riley, Van Allen sifts facts from fiction to paint the truest portrait of this controversial poet.