1896. Allen was born on a farm near Lexington, Kentucky. As a young boy, he lived the life of the Southern ante-bellum gentry, but by the time he was a teenager the Civil War and Reconstruction had ushered in a new era for both himself and his family. Later, he moved to New York City to pursue writing full time. Many of his works reflect Kentucky themes. The book begins: Silently summer waxes. The first wave of warmth trembles northward, pauses, flees back, is gone; but it has left an imperishable touch on thousands of delicate things as a glacier scars the rocks. Another wave, more heated, more vitalizing, creeps forward; even while advancing, it has died away amid the common chill. Then follow the sunlit breakers, running faster and farther toward the changeless coast of the North, until over the entire gentle zone settles one deep, tranquil, crystalline, perfumed sea. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.