These Chesapeake Men
North Montpelier, Vermont: Driftwind Press, 1942. Jack Lewis. 1st Edition. 8vo. Very Good. Item #17918
A beautiful 1st edition of Byron's first book of poetry, signed by the poet on a front flyleaf, with tipped-in pastedown illustrations by Delaware artist Jack Lewis.
Byron was known as 'The Chesapeake Thoreau' and the 'Voice of the Chesapeake'. His eloquent poetry and prose captured perfectly the romantic, often difficult and sometimes perilous existence of the nearly extinct Chesapeake Bay waterman of the early 20th century.
170pp. Square tight binding. Clean interior, save for a previous owner signature to front endpaper. Bound in brown cloth over boards with spine and upper board titled in gilt. a small, shallow bump along top edge of front board. Lacking jacket, though this historic piece presents handsomely in clear archival mylar.
Gilbert Byron's first book, with lovely tipped-in color illustrations by Delaware artist Jack Lewis, a frequent collaborator of Byron's. Here are the people, the wildlife and the everyday trials and tribulations of a time long gone on Maryland's Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay, captured in verse by the region's answer to Thoreau.
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