Familiar Faces

“Are you writing this immortal book of verses, or am I?” The poet’s question lands after his publisher demands something novel, striking—and better than the last.

In Harry Graham’s early-twentieth-century comic verses, the scene shifts from the poet’s cramped, ink-scented Mews to clubs, boudoirs, railway stations and dinner tables. A parade of familiar types takes the stage: the Fumbler who never seems to find his purse, the baritone who croons of lost love, and others whose vanity and quirks are ripe for rhyme. Graham’s neat, irreverent lines turn small social irritations into delicious comedy—and leave the reader wondering: which familiar face will you recognize first, and might it be your own?

With centuries of literature, it's inevitable that some will fall through the cracks. We hunt down public domain works and restore them so they're not lost to the world.

Who are we? We're Cairn Press. Our background is in design, publishing, typography, and technology. These skills fuel our mission to create the highest quality Public Domain eBooks available online, at an affordable price. We give them the treatment they deserve; our proprietary process restores books for a better overall user experience in design, readability, and e-reader compatibility.