In 1951, James T. Farrell said Riley's works were "cliched". Galens wrote modern critics consider Riley to be a "minor poet, whose work—provincial, sentimental, and superficial though it may have been—nevertheless struck a chord with a mass audience in a time of enormous cultural change". Thomas C. Johnson wrote that what most interests modern critics was Riley's ability to market his work, saying he had a unique understanding of "how to commodify his own image and the nostalgic dreams of an anxious nation". Among the earliest widespread criticisms of Riley were opinions that his dialect writing did not actually represent the true dialect of central Indiana. In 1970 Peter Revell wrote Riley's dialect was more like the poor speech of a child rather than the dialect of his region. He made extensive comparisons to historical texts and Riley's dialect usage. Philip Greasley wrote that while "some critics have dismissed him as sub-literary, insincere, and an artificial entertainer, his defenders reply that an author so popular with millions of people in different walks of life must contribute something of value, and that his faults, if any, can be ignored". See also American poetry Golden Age of Indiana Literature Notes Footnotes References Cottman, George S. (June 1918). "Some Reminiscences of James Whitcomb Riley," Indiana Magazine of History, vol. 14, no. 2 pp. 99–107. In JSTOR External links James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home – where Riley lived for most of his adult life, on a cobblestone street in the Lockerbie neighborhood near downtown Indianapolis Guide to the Riley Collections at the Lilly Library – Indiana University, Bloomington. Indiana State Library Treasures – digital collection featuring materials related to Riley from the Indiana State Library. James Whitcomb Riley collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library James Whitcomb Riley – Hoosier Poet – digital collection of Riley-related materials, Indiana Historical Society Riley Children's Foundation – supporting Riley Hospital for Children, Camp Riley for Youth with Physical Disabilities and the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home The James Whitcomb Riley Digital Collection – IUPUI University Library Cambridge History of English and American Literature vol. 17: Later National poets Songs O' Cheer – collection of humorous poems (with art) from the book published in 1883. James Whitcomb Riley Recordings – 16 recordings from 1912 of James Whitcomb Riley reading his poems Still Another Look at Jim Riley, biographical essay by poet Jared Carter. James Whitcomb Riley on