Paul Laurence Dunbar(1872-1906) Candle Lightin Time Book. PublishedNew York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1901. First Edition. First edition, first printing. Signed, dedicated & dated 1901 on the front endpaper. Bound in publisher's green cloth with elaborate stamping to upper board. A beautiful copy. With photographs by the Hampton Institute Camera Club, and decorations by Margaret Armstrong. Near Fine. [Attributes: First Edition]About the author: Paul Laurence Dunbar was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American Civil War, Dunbar began writing stories and verse when he was a child. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper, and served as president of his high school's literary society.Dunbar's popularity increased rapidly after his work was praised by William Dean Howells, a leading editor associated with Harper's Weekly. Dunbar became one of the first African-American writers to establish an international reputation. In addition to his poems, short stories, and novels, he also wrote the lyrics for the musical comedy In Dahomey (1903), the first all-African-American musical produced on Broadway in New York. The musical later toured in the United States and the United Kingdom. Suffering from tuberculosis, which then had no cure, Dunbar died in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 33.Much of Dunbar's more popular work in his lifetime was written in the "Negro dialect" associated with the antebellum South, though he also used the Midwestern regional dialect of James Whitcomb Riley.Dunbar also wrote in conventional English in other poetry and novels and is considered the first important African American sonnet writer.Since the late 20th century, scholars have become more interested in these other works.

Lacking the hard cover spine , slight tarnishing to gilt on front cover, some fading to the cover,t rubbing to tips. Pages are clean. Otherwise A beautiful copy inside & a Great Read With photographs by the Hampton Institute Camera Club. Used condition, All lots are sold As Is and we always ask all to attend the preview in our showroom prior to the sale and to examine all lots in person. If bidding on line , please examine all posted images and if you have any questions please email us before the auction begins.