An Old Sweetheart of Mine

Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merril Company, 1902 Illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy. Early printing. Publisher's vertically-ribbed green cloth, lettered to spine in light green, with color pictorial onlay to front board with Christy's illustration of a young woman holding a book, lettered in gilt; in the publisher's glassine wrapper and box. A near fine copy, light scattered spotting to front board, small closed tear to rear free endpaper, else very tight and clean with beautiful illustrations and decorative text borders; glassine wrapper very good with light wear to extremities and a rough closed tear to rear flap; publisher's box good with scattered foxing, wear and splitting to extremities with several tape repairs. Scarce in the original box and glassine. BAL 16657. An Old Sweetheart of Mine is a book-length sentimental love poem. After Riley achieved popular and critical success for his poetry, Howard Chandler Christy created original illustrations for his verses. Riley, a native of Indiana, often set many of his poems in his home state, and used local dialects in his writing. Accordingly, Riley was known as the "Hoosier Poet," and his nostalgic poetry is credited with fostering Mid-Western cultural identity in the late 19th century. As Christy is from Ohio, the creative pair's mutual ties to the American Midwest deepens the local color of their collaborative work. Notably, Riley's 1904 novel Out to Old Aunt Mary's was published as a companion text to this volume.. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included. Illus. by Christy, Howard Chandler.