The Eternal Laughter and Other Poems Hardcover - 1903

This is a rare, beautifully illustrated book of poetry, "THE ETERNAL LAUGHTER and Other Poems" by W. Starling Burgess. 1903 1st edition, 1st printing; W.B. Clarke Company; Boston. With an Introduction by Julian Hawthorne (Nathaniel Hawthorne's son). The book features wonderful full-page illustrations (including two engraved plates with tissue guards) by Edward Lyne and Edmund H. Garrett. Gilt top page edges. W. Starling Burgess (father of Tasha Tudor, American illustrator and author) was an American yacht designer, aviation pioneer, and naval architect. He was awarded the highest prize in aviation, the Collier Trophy in 1915, just two years after Orville Wright won it. In 1933 he partnered with Buckminster Fuller to design and build the radical Dymaxion Car. Between 1930 and 1937 he created three America's Cup winning J-Class yachts. Burgess may also have been the creator of the world's most popular font, Times New Roman. He wrote this poetry collection (his first and only book) in response to a personal tragedy - the suicide of his first wife after only one year of marriage. Condition: Some light staining along the right edge of the front cover, and at the bottom-right corner of the back cover. Tight binding with no cracks and no loose pages. Occasional small stains, smudges and foxing spots to the pages here and there. Page 47 has a small, illegible word written in pen at the bottom edge. Tiny cloth tears at the top and bottom edges of the spine. A bit of the white coloring has flaked away from the right-hand "wing" illustration on the front cover. Bright gilt top page edges. Overall the book is in Good+ condition.