Elizabeth Madox Roberts (1881-1941) was an American poet, story-writer, and novelist whose first novel, The Time of Man (1926) was significant in the transition of American literature from romantic to realistic fiction. She grew up in Washington County, Kentucky, one county over from those recognized as part of the Appalachian Regional Commission, but still mostly hill-and-holler country, especially in the rural extremities where Robert taught school as a young woman. Her importance is signified by the fact that there are three book-length studies of her work, three collections of critical articles, and a flourishing Roberts Society with an annual conference that draws about twenty papers a year. At the age of 36, after publishing one book of poems, Roberts entered the University of Chicago and graduated in 1921, returning to Washington County for the rest of her life, except for some time spent in Florida due to health concerns. This is her third novel.
New York: Viking Press, 1931. 296 pages. Hardback in dust jacket.