1898 Arkansaw Bear A Tale of Fanciful Adventure

Description

First Edition, Illustrated, Pleasing Copy, Scarce

Inspired by the lyrics of “The Arkansas Traveler”, this work details the adventures of a recent runaway Bosephus (shortened as “Bo”) and Horatio the fiddle-playing bear, recounting the pair's series of misadventures travelling to to Louisiana. This work was so popular that Paine later wrote a sequel, 'The Arkansaw Bear and Elsie', published in 1909. This two works also inspired the later stage play, 'The Trial of the Arkansas Bear', by William Glennon. Albert Bigelow Paine was a renowned American editor, dramatist, and author best known for his authorized three-volume biography of Mark Twain. Frank Ver Beck was a notable American illustrator nicknamed "the artistic Aesop" due to his renowned comedic drawings of animals.