James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916)
Author of The Complete Poetical Works of James Whitcomb Riley
About the Author
Poet, lecturer, and journalist, Riley gained popularity with his series of poems in the Hoosier dialect written under the pseudonym "Benjamin F. Johnson, of Boone." These originally appeared in the Indianapolis Journal, where he worked from 1877 to 1885; in 1883 they were published as The Old show more Swimmin'-Hole and 'Leven More Poems. His most popular poems are "When the Frost is on the Punkin"' and "The Old Man and Jim." Riley went on numerous lecture tours, entertaining as an actor and humorist. Although best known for his dialect poetry---"comforting, familiar platitudes, restated in verse" (Richard Crowder)---Riley also wrote humorous sketches and other poems. He produced more than 90 volumes of popular poetry, some of which are available in reprinted editions. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery (image use requires permission from the New York Public Library)
Series
Works by James Whitcomb Riley
The Gobble-Uns 'll Git You Ef You Don't Watch Out! - James Whitcomb Riley's Little Orphant Annie: James Whitcomb Riley's Little Orphant Annie (1885) 24 copies
Sketches in Prose 10 copies
The James Whitcomb Riley reader, selected, graded, and with the suggestions for the observance of Riley day (2012) 3 copies
JEWELS FROM JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY 2 copies
Old School Day Romances 2 copies
Just be glad 2 copies
Rare His Pa's Romance by James Whitcomb Riley, 1903 hardcover, poetry, 1st ed [Hardcover] unknown 1 copy
Tales of the Dark Romantics and Beyond: Tales of the Dark Romantics — Contributor — 1 copy
Poets Here at Home 1 copy
The Old Times 1 copy
Riley Poetry 1 copy
Fantast and Nonsense 1 copy
Down around the river 1 copy
James Whitcomb Riley 4-book Collection: The Best Loved Poems; Songs of Home; Songs O'Cheer; Songs of Summer (1910) 1 copy
Farm-Rymes 1 copy
The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Bound Volume, November 1896 to April 1897 (Volume 31) (1897) 1 copy
Associated Works
The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, Volumes 1-2 (1955) — Contributor — 523 copies, 4 reviews
Poems Bewitched and Haunted (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series) (2005) — Contributor — 231 copies
The Lincoln Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Legacy from 1860 to Now (2008) — Contributor — 172 copies, 1 review
The Children's Treasury: Best Loved Stories and Poems from Around the World (1987) — Contributor — 164 copies, 2 reviews
Taylor's Popular Recitations: Containing Gems of James Whitcomb Riley, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Eugene Field, Etc. (1908) — Contributor — 3 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Johnson, Benj. F.
- Birthdate
- 1849-10-07
- Date of death
- 1916-07-22
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- poet
newspaper editor
traveling entertainer - Organizations
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (Literature ∙ 1898)
Cliff Dwellers - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Greenfield, Indiana, USA
- Places of residence
- Miami, Florida, USA
- Place of death
- Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Burial location
- Crown Hill Cemetery of Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Indiana, USA
Members
Discussions
James Whitcomb Riley in Tattered but still lovely (June 2013)
Reviews
The Old Soldier's Story: Poems and Prose Sketches by James Whitcomb Riley is a charming blend of humor, nostalgia, and heartfelt reflection. Opening with a banquet scene where an old soldier shares a comedic battlefield tale, the collection captures the warmth and authenticity of front-porch storytelling. Riley’s mix of dialect, wit, and tenderness offers a vivid portrait of humanity—reminding us that even amid war’s chaos, laughter and shared memories endure.
3 stars for Nye, 0 for Riley. In their day, both were very popular but James Whitcomb Riley, "the Hoosier poet," was way more famous for way longer. Today, his poems, many in a made-up midwest dialect, are pretty unreadable, whereas Nye's essays are still amusing and wide-ranging. "Wit and Humor" appears to be a re-issuing of Nye and Riley's "Railway Guide," a title as deliberately misleading as Benchle's collection "David Copperfield." Surprisingly for the times in which it was written, show more only one essay suffers from serious stereotyping. If you liked Twain's Roughing It or various essays, give Nye a try. show less
I picked up this one last year, and reading it in parts; I am really liking it! I mean he’s not a very known poet, not listed on those elite clubs and lists, but I am awed by the simplicity. Sometimes it gets so casual, it suddenly gets deep.
To be honest, I started reading this just because I saw a picture of James dean holding the book, with a cigarette on other hand; I was sold then and there!
To be honest, I started reading this just because I saw a picture of James dean holding the book, with a cigarette on other hand; I was sold then and there!
I picked up this one last year, and reading it in parts; I am really liking it! I mean he’s not a very known poet, not listed on those elite clubs and lists, but I am awed by the simplicity. Sometimes it gets so casual, it suddenly gets deep.
To be honest, I started reading this just because I saw a picture of James dean holding the book, with a cigarette on other hand; I was sold then and there!
To be honest, I started reading this just because I saw a picture of James dean holding the book, with a cigarette on other hand; I was sold then and there!
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Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 139
- Also by
- 21
- Members
- 2,149
- Popularity
- #11,968
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 28
- ISBNs
- 207
- Languages
- 1
- Favorited
- 4
