"In this first serious, modern biography, Van Allen not only sheds new light on Riley's cultural significance but also elucidates many aspects of the poet's life that have been mythologized and exaggerated. When he was alive, the general public was so interested in Riley's life that newspaper and magazine reporters throughout the nation sought him out for interviews.

With these reporters, his publishers, and his promoters, Riley created an image of himself that served to broaden his celebrity and sell his poetry. Through this process, he established a public persona that resembled the simple, homespun characters that appear in many of his poems. Over time it has become increasingly easy to confuse Riley the poet with his work. Legends and rumors which have grown up around Riley have either elevated him as a hero who gave Hoosiers a pride of place or denigrated him as a drunken author of Victorian doggerel.

Van Allen sifts facts from fiction to construct as true a portrait of Riley as possible in the context of the society in which he lived."--BOOK JACKET.