Books by Edgar Guest, Washington Irving in silent auction at A.K. Smiley Public Library in Redlands When Day Is Done and The Path to Home by Edgar Guest are among the books in the Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Librarys silent auction of old and rare books. POSTED: 08/06/14 Books by two authors who were immensely popular in their day are up for bids in the silent auction of old and rare books sponsored by the Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Library. The authors are the prolific poet Edgar Guest, reputed to have written more than 11,000 poems, and Washington Irving, famed American short story writer. The books up for bids are “The Path to Home” and “When Day is Done” by Edgar Guest and an eight-volume bundle of “The Works of Washington Irving.” Bid sheets and descriptions of the books are in the silent auction area on the main level of the A.K. Smiley Public Library, 125 W. Vine St., Redlands. The books may be viewed downstairs in the Friends of the Library bookstore. “The Path to Home” (1919) and “When Day is Done” (1921) are both early editions of two of Edgar Guest’s (1881-1959) most popular books. Guest, an American poet, was popular in the first half of the 20th century. He was known as the people’s poet because of his homespun poetry about ordinary folk. He was made the poet laureate of Michigan — the only poet given that honor. Included in the volumes up for bids are charming poems such as “When Mother Made an Angel Cake,” “The Cookie Lady,” “Pa and the Monthly Bills,” “The Kick Under the Table” and “Dan McGann Declares Himself.” This later poem speaks volumes to Americans in 2014 about political sensibilities and patriotism, just as it did in 1921. The dealer value of the two books is $56 to $150, and the minimum bid is $24. “The Works of Washington Irving” was published by Thomas Crowell, New York. Washington Irving (1783-1859) was an American author, historian and diplomat. He is best known for his short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle.” Irving is credited with being the first American author to make his living with only his pen. He popularized the nickname Gotham City for New York, a term later used in the Batman series. He also coined the expression “the almighty dollar.” Irving was immensely popular in the 19th century and was required reading in American schools until the 1940s. The condition of the books is excellent. This bundle consists of eight volumes of a 10-volume set. The dealer value is $8 to $15 per volume. The minimum bid for the eight volumes is $25. The purpose of the Friends of the Library is to support the A.K. Smiley Public Library. All revenues received from the auction help to fund a variety of programs such as the Tuesday afternoon summer programs for children and the summer reading program. Source: Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Library redlandsdailyfacts/arts-and-entertainment/20140806/books-by-edgar-guest-washington-irving-in-silent-auction-at-ak-smiley-public-library-in-redlands
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 18:37:23 +0000