An Alphabet of History

Description

Acclaimed poet and humorist Wilbur D. Nesbit (1871 – 1927) was known primarily for his talent at writing humorous poems and works that have gained popularity through a number of well-known publications in Chicago and Baltimore, including the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore News-American and the Chicago Evening Post. While he was first a printer, his writings quickly became popular after his first publications appeared in the Cedarville Herald.

Later, Nesbit would go on to write both under his real name and his pen name John Wink, leading a notable career that culminated with the poem Your Flag and My Flag, which attracted significant attention during the First World War.

An Alphabet of History is one of those catchy, creative writings that only come around once in a few decades, and manage to put a smile on every reader’s face whenever they do. Nesbit’s original idea was to write short, humorous poems about key figure in history arranged alphabetically according to their names. From Alexander the Great to Zenobia, we are acquainted with many great names of world history, including Euripides, James Watt, William Shakespeare or Galileo Galilei.

The poems are both instructional and highly entertaining. Nesbit spares no effort when it comes to blending elegant words with fun little artifices that always take the reader by surprise in showing a unique new perspective of important events and aspects associated with the historic personalities’ lives.

Although history buffs might not learn a great deal from this lighthearted set of lyrical biographic presentations, the poems will definitely cause you to smile and marvel at the author’s ingenious word games.

Even a century after it was first presented to the world, An Alphabet of History continues to bring us the laughter and keen curiosity that Wilbur D. Nesbit had always intended to impart through his most successful works.
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