The Writings in Prose and Verse of Eugene Field was published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in ten volumes between 1896 and 1901 — a monumental posthumous edition that gathered the full range of Field’s literary output: poetry, fiction, newspaper columns, translations, literary criticism, and personal essays. The edition was compiled by various friends and editors and represents the most comprehensive collection of Field’s work ever assembled.
The ten volumes are organized thematically rather than chronologically: volumes devoted to children’s verse, adult poetry, fiction, journalism, translations from French and German, literary essays, and miscellaneous prose. The arrangement reveals the breadth of Field’s talent — he was not merely the children’s poet and newspaper humorist of popular memory, but a skilled translator (particularly from Horace and from French chanson), a serious literary critic, and a prose stylist of considerable range.
For collectors, the set is significant as the primary source for much of Field’s work that was never otherwise collected — hundreds of newspaper columns, occasional poems, and private writings that exist nowhere else. The binding and typography (uniformly produced in green cloth with gilt decoration) reflect the Scribner’s standard of the period, and complete sets in good condition are increasingly scarce as individual volumes are broken off for separate sale.
Collecting The Writings in Prose and Verse
First edition (Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1896–1901): Ten volumes, green cloth binding with gilt decoration.
Market values:
- Complete ten-volume set: $150–$400
- Individual volumes: $15–$40
- Deluxe limited edition (250 copies, signed by publishers): $400–$1000