Our Boy and Other Poems. By Alan Strang, California's Boy Poet
[Redwood City]: J.L. Strang, 1919. 47pp., including original photographic frontispiece. 12mo. Original red suede wrappers, string-tied. Light wear, text generally clean. Some slight silver mirroring to photo. Very good. Item #2689
A touching memento mori for boy-poet Alan Strang, who died in 1919 at the tender age of ten. In the introduction his father writes, "The poems contained in this book were written prior to his tenth birthday. Considering the age of the author we feel that the work contains real merit, while the sentiment expressed betokens that patriotic spirit which never fails or hesitates when our country calls for men." It seems as though the volume was in production before Strang died, as he has signed the frontispiece photograph of himself and the opening poem calls upon the reader to provide feedback: "This little book's a letter, / I send direct to you; / ...after you have read it, / Just send a thot to me; / Your thots will help to make me / The 'Poet' I would be." We locate four copies in OCLC, at Brown University, UC Berkeley, UC North Regional Library, and the Library of Congress.
Price: $500.00