John Milton Hay was an American statesman and official whose career began as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln. However, Hay was also a talented writer and biographer. Thanks to his skillfully guided diplomacy during the critical period in the USA, he became a famous and honorable politician. His further diplomatic work got particularly associated with the Open Door policy toward China and the preparations for the Panama Canal.
“Pike County Ballads and Other Poems” will be especially interesting for those who adore 19th century literature and diversity of the American dialects of early towns along the Mississippi River. It is a unique work as the most famous poems of this book bask in rural Illinois dialects and provide optimistic portraits of a preindustrial Middle America. After all, it is a great work of an outstanding politician and bright person, who enjoyed expressing himself in writing. Open the book and follow his enjoyment through his writing!
