Tales of a Wayside Inn

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Tales of a Wayside Inn" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a collection of poems published in 1863. Set at a historic Massachusetts tavern, the work depicts a gathering of friends who each tell a story in verse. The characters are based on real people Longfellow knew, including musicians and poets. Longfellow undertook this ambitious project partly to cope with his wife's death, weaving together tales from European legends and American sources, including the famous "Paul Revere's Ride." The collection's popularity led to two additional series in the 1870s.