Dunne, F.P.

Mr. Dooley, In the Hearts of his Countrymen.

London, Grant Richards, 1900. 18cm x 12.3cm. viii, 310 pages. Original Hardcover with gilt lettering on spine and cover. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Endpaper frayed with small tera. One page with a larger tear (text not effected).

Finley Peter Dunne (1867 — 1936), an American humorist and writer from Chicago/ He published Mr. Dooley in Peace and War, a collection of his nationally syndicated Mr. Dooley sketches, in 1898/ The fictional Mr. Dooley expounded upon political and social issues of the day from his South Side Chicago Irish pub and he spoke with the thick verbiage and accent of an Irish immigrant from County Roscommon/ Dunne’s sly humor and political acumen won the support of President Theodore Roosevelt, a frequent target of Mr. Dooley’s barbs/ Indeed Dunne’s sketches became so popular and such a litmus test of public opinion that they were read each week at White House cabinet meetings/ Theodore Roosevelt was a fan, despite the fact that he was one of Dunne’s favorite targets/ When Roosevelt published his book, “The Rough Riders”, Dunne wrote a tongue-in-cheek review mocking the war hero with the punchline “if I was him I’d call th’ book ‘Alone in Cubia’” and the nation roared/ Roosevelt wrote to Dunne: “I regret to state that my family and intimate friends are delighted with your review of my book. Now I think you owe me one; and I shall expect that when you next come east you pay me a visit. I have long wanted the chance of making your acquaintance”/ The two finally met at the Republican Convention in 1900, where Roosevelt gave him a news scoop—he would accept the nomination as vice presidential candidate/ In later years, Dunne was a frequent guest for dinner and weekends at the White House/ Dunne wrote more than 700 Dooley pieces/ About one third of them were printed in eight books, with their era of influence ending with the start of World War I/ He left Chicago after Dooley became popular and lived in New York where he wrote books and articles and edited “The American Magazine”, ″ Metropolitan Magazine” and “Collier’s Weekly”, and was a beloved figure in club and literary circles/ He died in New York on April 24, 1936/ His wife, Margaret Ives Abbott, was the daughter of the “Chicago Tribune’s” book reviewer, Mary Ives Abbott, a newspaper woman and novelist who associated with the prominent families of the time in Chicago-the Potter Palmers, the Chatfield-Taylors, etc.

• Language: English
• Inventory Number: 40417AB

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