 "Ballads and Other Poems" was published in 1841 and included "The Village Blacksmith" and "The Wreck of the Hesperus", which were instantly popular.He became part of the local social scene, creating a group of friends who called themselves the Five of Clubs.Members included Cornelius Conway Felton, George Stillman Hillard, and Charles Sumner; Sumner became Longfellow's closest friend over the next 30 years.