Candle-Lightin’ Time. By Paul Laurence Dunbar. First Edition, Second Printing, Second State. Dodd, Mead. New York, 1902.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the greatest American poets of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The son of former slaves, Dunbar rose to international acclaim in the 1890s with a series of poetry collections that showcased a mastery of sound, syllable, and meter. He famously wrote in standard English and dialect, standing out in both, but especially the latter. Some of his most lasting poems include “Sympathy”, “Accountability”, and “We Wear the Mask”, among many others. In this volume, Candle-Lightin’ Time, Dunbar pairs an outstanding collection with original photographs by the Hampton Institute Camera Club. The edition is also decorated by Margaret Armstrong. The titular poem is one of his most famous, but the whole collection should not be overlooked. They are some of the best poems of the era, and some of the best poems in dialect ever written.

This first edition, second printing, second state is in near-fine condition. In the original pictorial cloth with gilt spine label, near-fine with only minor rubbing to corners. Text block fine. Top edge gilt. Photographs superb. Printing and state indicated by green text and Roman numerals to title page. This copy also contains an original newspaper clipping of Dunbar’s widely reprinted obituary from 1906.

A near-fine early printing by Paul Laurence Dunbar.