Paul Laurence Dunbar

Inscribed first edition, first printing of Dunbar's poem; born to formerly enslaved parents, he became known for his use of dialect to capture the African American experience.

• Paul Laurence Dunbar (American).
• Decorations by Margaret Armstrong.
• New York: Dodd Mead and Co., 1903. 
• 144 pages.
• Octavo.
• Inscribed by Dunbar from his poem 'Philosophy': "It's easy enough to titter w'en de stew is smokin' hot, But hit's mighty ha'd to giggle w'en dey's nuffin in de pot." Interestingly, he spells out 'enough' rather than using the published version '‘nough'.
• Contains a different ownership name dated 1903 below Dunbar's inscription.
• Bound in publisher's pictorial cloth binding, gilt titling and pink and green vines to spine.