Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. was a physician by profession but achieved fame as a writer; he was one of the best regarded American poets of the 19th century. Included here are three of his most famous poems. * * * * A one-horse shay is a light, covered, two-wheeled carriage for two persons, drawn by a single horse, which Mr. Holmes memorialized in his light poem "The Deacon's Masterpiece or The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay". Frustrated at the frequent breakdowns of his shay, the fictional deacon built this wonderful, and perfect, one-horse shay from the very best of materials so that each part was as strong as every other part. In Holmes' humorous, yet "logical", twist, the shay endures for a hundred years to the day, then it went to pieces all at once, and nothing first, - just as bubbles do when they burst. * * * * The second poem, "How the Old Horse won the Bet", tells the tale of the improbable, but not impossible, race of the Deacon's old, but not yet retired, horse (unhitched from the shay, of course). * * * * The last poem, "The Broomstick Train" whimsically explains the mystery of how electric trains (and trolleys) move without steam engines or horses to pull them. * * * * "The One-Hoss-Shay, How the Old Horse Won the Bet, & The Broomstick Train" was originally published in 1891. This edition contains the full text of the original poems and all fifty-nine original illustrations by Howard Pyle. * * * * Check out the other books published by Flying Chipmunk Publishing!