My Dear Mr. M: Letters to G.B. MacMillan from L.M. Montgomery

My Dear Mr. M: Letters to G.B. MacMillan from L.M. Montgomery edited by Francis W.P. Bolger and Elizabeth R. Epperly was first published by McGraw-Hill Ryerson Press in 1980. The 212-page volume was later republished by Oxford University Press in 1992.

L.M. Montgomery and George Boyd MacMillan of Alloa, Scotland began writing letters to one another in 1903, and they continued corresponding for nearly forty years until the end of L.M. Montgomery's life. Montgomery and MacMillan both had literary ambitions. When L.M. Montgomery began having success in the publishing world, she sent MacMillan copies of her books. L.M. Montgomery dedicated her novel Emily of New Moon to MacMillan "in recognition of a long and stimulating friendship."

In her letters, L.M. Montgomery displays thoughtfulness, warmth, openness, and humor. She and MacMillan have a deep friendship, and Montgomery confides in him about her life, literature, and thoughts on the world. The pair exchanged letters, as well as magazines, postcards, and books. Fortunately, MacMillan's family kept Montgomery's letters, but sadly, most of the letters MacMillan sent Montgomery have been lost. This collection of selected letters provides insight to L.M. Montgomery's life and her relationship with her valued and trusted friend.


Here is the description of the book from Oxford University Press:

MY DEAR MR. LETTERS TO G. B. MacMILLAN FROM L. M. MONTGOMERY is a volume of selected letters from L.M. Montgomery to her longtime Scottish correspondent George Boyd MacMillan (to whom she had dedicated Emily of New Moon), written between 1903 and 1941. It was edited and introduced by Francis W.P. Bolger and Elizabeth R. Epperly and first published in 1980 by McGraw-Hill Ryerson. A trade paperback edition, with a new preface by the editors, was published by Oxford University Press in 1992.

Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the ever-popular Anne of Green Gables, was a keen letter-writer. Her letters to George Boyd MacMillan over their thirty-nine-year friendship show the full range of her interests, from domestic concerns, her cats and gardening, to her professional literary career as best-selling author. She shares with MacMillan the joys and burdens of her life. She is proud of her two sons and is excited by new inventions such as motor cars and the talkies. At the same time, she is saddened by the encroachment of “progress” on her idyllic, rural Prince Edward Island. She agonizes over the campaigns of the two World Wars and never recovers completely from the death of her closest friend. During her friendship with MacMillan, L.M. Montgomery changes from a confident and cheerful young woman to a disillusioned but courageous old woman. After her retirement to “Journey’s End” in Toronto, distraught by family problems and depressed by the Second World War, her health and spirits fail. These letters will delight all readers of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books. They reveal the character of one [of] our best-known authors; charming, witty, sometimes gloomy and morbid, she was above all stimulating.

Reviews

"My Dear Mr. M. has a place in any collection of Canadian literature."
-Lori A. Dunn, Canadian Book Review Annual Online (full review)

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Created December 2, 1999. Last updated October 19, 2024.
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The Green Gables Letters: From L.M. Montgomery to Ephraim Weber, 1905-1909

The Green Gables Letters: From L.M. Montgomery to Ephraim Weber, 1905-1909 edited by Wilfrid Eggleston was published by Ryerson Press in 1960. The 2nd edition of the 102-page book was published by Borealis Press in 1981.

L.M. Montgomery and Ephraim Weber began writing letters to one another in 1902, and they continued corresponding for nearly forty years until the end of L.M. Montgomery's life. Weber was a Mennonite farmer born in Ontario, Canada, who moved to Western Canada as an adult.

L.M. Montgomery and Ephraim Weber both had literary ambitions. Weber was a poet and author, and Montgomery took great pleasure in receiving his intellectually stimulating letters. The pair wrote to one another about books and writers, their literary struggles and successes, and their personal lives. In appreciation of their long literary friendship, L.M. Montgomery dedicated her novel The Blue Castle to "Mr. Ephraim Weber, M.A. who understands the architecture of blue castles."

Wilfrid Eggleston, a journalist and writer, was also friends with Ephraim Weber. When Weber died in 1956, his letters were turned over to Eggleston and placed in the National Archives of Canada. Eggleston proceeded to publish this collection of letters from Montgomery to Weber in 1960 to enlighten readers about L.M. Montgomery's correspondence during the period she wrote Anne of Green Gables.

Here is the description of the book from Borealis Press:

An interesting sequence of letters, written by L.M. Montgomery early in the century, was found in 1956 among the papers of Ephraim Weber who was living in the West. Now lodged in the National Archives in Ottawa, the letters reproduced here exactly as they were written, form a fascinating footnote to the history of Canadian letters.

These letters are of interest and importance not only because they were written during the years of gestation and birth and outstanding success of the book ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, but also because they reveal a lively extrovert in an eminently healthy balance. This is an absorbing book, for adults who have nostalgic memories of "ANNE," and for writers who need encouragement in their struggle for literary recognition.

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Created December 1, 1999. Last updated October 20, 2024.
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Maud: The Life of L.M. Montgomery, the creator of the world of Anne of Green Gables

Maud: The Life of L.M. Montgomery, the creator of the world of Anne of Green Gables is a biography by Harry Bruce that was published by Bantam Books in September 1992. Drawing from The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Volumes I and II, as well as L.M. Montgomery's autobiography, letters, and other biographical sources, Maud tells the story of L.M. Montgomery's early life. The book chronicles life in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island and Maud's schooldays, home life, romances, and early jobs. Bruce describes young Maud's imagination and aspirations to be a writer, and her success in publishing Anne of Green Gables.

Here is the book's description from its inner cover:

Born November 30, 1874, L.M. Montgomery spent her childhood in a rural farmhouse, like her beloved character Anne of Green Gables. Raised by strict, elderly guardians, she had an early life full of loneliness and struggle; however, Maud had a secret dream: to become a writer.

In fascinating, authentic detail, this biography follows life on turn-of-the-century Prince Edward Island, the setting for nearly all of Maud’s stories. Readers discover the island's haunting beauty and its idiosyncrasies: the Automobile Abolition Society that kept it free of cars; its tiny capital, Charlottetown, where streetlamps went unlit during full moons; and its Scottish inhabitants who feared God, revered hard work, and loved learning.

The town of Cavendish, so much like the Avonlea of the Anne books, is where Maud began writing, at the age of nine. In Cavendish she grew into a vibrant young woman who was so attractive to men that she was pursued and proposed to frequently. Yet Maud Montgomery never wed the one man she truly desired; when she finally did marry, at the age of thirty-five, it was to someone she respected but did not love.

Maud explores the passionate nature and irrepressible imagination of Maud Montgomery that she tried to conceal from those she lived with. Whether teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, becoming one of the first Canadian women journalists, or, finally, trapped in her hometown taking care of her aging grandmother and running the local post office, she was not only the responsible individual who accepted her fate but also a woman of stormy moods and unshakable ambition.

Drawn extensively from L.M. Montgomery’s own journals, this colorful biography vividly portrays a woman ahead of her time, a remarkable author who gave the world a unique character named Anne of Green Gables.


Harry Bruce has written numerous books for which he has received national acclaim in Canada. His most recent book is Down Home.

Reviews

"With a tender and sympathetic eye, Bruce reveals the quiet heroism of the author of Anne of Green Gables and the other Avonlea books. Like her famous heroine, Montgomery (1874-1942) was without parents--her mother died before Montgomery's second birthday, and when she was seven, her father left her in the care of her grandparents. Also like Anne, Montgomery was independent: despite disapproval from her family and the restrictive mores of Victorian-era Canada, she steeled herself at an early age to become a successful writer (she began making daily journal entries when she was nine) and attended college. But Bruce also shows another side of the "revolutionary" woman as someone who had a strong sense of duty to family and friends, and who spent most of her early adult years caring for a stubborn, reclusive grandmother. Bruce's writing is easy and engaging, but his emphasis on the romantic angles of Montgomery's life is a bit tiresome. Overall, though, a well-crafted and solid biography. Ages 12-up."
— Publishers Weekly

"Grade 6-9-- Lucy Maud Montgomery had a bleak childhood growing up in a household where she was little more than tolerated by her two elderly grandparents. The story follows the ups and downs of her life, including her struggles to make a career of writing while fulfilling family obligations. This well-written account covers much of the unpleasantness in her life, along with interesting commentary about the young men attracted to her and, of course, her pursuit of a literary career. Young readers are likely to find such revelations dull, but junior high students may be interested. Eight pages of captioned black-and-white photographs are included."
— Phyllis G. Sidorsky, National Cathedral School, Washington, DC, School Library Journal

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Created November 15, 1999. Last updated August 31, 2024.
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Aunt Maud's Recipe Book: From the Kitchen of L.M. Montgomery

Aunt Maud's Recipe Book: From the Kitchen of L.M. Montgomery is a recipe book by L.M. Montgomery, Elaine Crawford, and Kelly Crawford that was published in 1997. The book features a selection of L.M. Montgomery's original recipes from a handwritten ledger that was passed down through her family to her relatives Elaine and Kelly Crawford. Each chapter presents a menu featuring Montgomery's favorite recipes, providing a personal view of the author and the foods she and her family enjoyed. Elaine and Kelly Crawford tested all of the recipes and present Montgomery's original recipe with side notes and annotations to help readers cook them successfully today. Throughout the book, Elaine and Kelly Crawford intersperse biographical information about their aunt, quotes from L.M. Montgomery, as well as personal photographs and family stories.

Here is the book's description from Moulin Publishing:

Famous for her Anne of Green Gables and Emily stories, author Lucy Maud Montgomery is less well known for her love of cooking and her talent in the kitchen. Her original handwritten ledger, treasured in the family for generations, was passed down to Elaine Crawford and her daughter Kelly. Aunt Maud's Recipe Book is a collection of foods that Montgomery served to her family and friends. Elaine and Kelly have selected a wonderful range of family favorites from the original recipe ledger. Included are menus such as "Afternoon Tea at the Manse," "Growing up at Green Gables," and "Down Home Favourites." From hearty dishes such as Pork Mock Duck, Third Try Beef and Roast Goose, to Marion's Orange Cake, Mrs. MacPherson's Ginger Snaps, and L.M. Montgomery's son Stuart favorite, Mock Cherry Pie. Recipes are interlaced with family anecdotes, photographs, and remembrances of Maud throughout her Norval years. Aunt Maud's Recipe Book is a historical journey celebrating Canadian cuisine in the early part of the 20th century.

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Created November 1, 1999. Last updated August 27, 2024.
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The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook

The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook by Kate Macdonald is a collection of recipes inspired by L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Author Kate Macdonald is L.M. Montgomery's granddaughter, and she has a college degree in Home Economy. Her literary cookbook was first published in 1985 by Oxford University Press. I have the Seal Books edition, which was published in 1988. A new, expanded hardcover edition of the book (pictured above) was published in 2017 by Race Point Publishing, featuring full-color photography of the recipes. The recipes include chocolate caramels, Diana Barry's favorite raspberry cordial, Marilla's plum pudding, coconut macaroons, raspberry tarts, maritime gingersnaps, and more.

Here is the description of the book:

With this charming cookbook by Kate Macdonald, L.M. Montgomery’s granddaughter, recreate the foods from the classic children’s book series Anne of Green Gables.

Featuring a grosgrain ribbon bookmark, full-color photography, whimsical illustrations, and quotes and anecdotes, The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook invites you to join Anne Shirley and her friends in Avonlea for a recipe collection inspired by L.M. Montgomery’s famous series.

Have you ever wanted to sneak a sip of Diana Barry’s Favorite Raspberry Cordial or try a slice of Anne Shirley’s Liniment Cake (without the liniment!)? Now you can! The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook includes recipes for food mentioned throughout the books in the series, along with recipes from L.M. Montgomery’s own kitchen. Offering delightful teatime snacks, mains, desserts, and more, the recipes include:

• Poetical Egg Salad Sandwiches
• Fire and Dew Sweet Potatoes
• Cowcumber Boats
• Sunshiny Corn Souffle
• Gilbert’s Hurry-Up Dinner
• Puffy Apple Dumplings
• Chocolate Goblin’s Cake
• Marilla’s Plum Pudding with Caramel Pudding Sauce (without the mouse!)

Relive the joy of Anne of Green Gables and all its flavors through this beautiful keepsake cookbook, the ideal gift for all “kindred spirits” and lovers of Avonlea.

ISBN: 978-1631063749

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Created October 17, 1999. Last updated December 5, 2024.
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The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass: L.M. Montgomery's Heroines and the Pursuit of Romance

The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass: L.M. Montgomery's Heroines and the Pursuit of Romance by Elizabeth Rollins Epperly was published by the University of Toronto Press in 1992. This early work of literary criticism on L.M. Montgomery's writings examines the lives of Montgomery's heroines and how her characters seek happiness and romance. A second edition of the book was published in 2014 with a new preface by the author.

Here is the description of the book from its 1993 cover:

Anne Shirley is the best known of a memorable group of heroines created by Lucy Maud Montgomery, a group that includes Emily Byrd Starr, Valancy Stirling, and Pat Gardiner. These characters are at the centre of Epperly's book, the first full-length critical study of all L.M. Montgomery's fiction.

Epperly contends that Montgomery was a master of the romance genre, and through her use of literary allusions, repetitions, irony, and comic inversions she deftly manipulated the normal conventions of romance novels. By studying the fictional biographies of the heroines and their pursuit of romance, Epperly questions the ways romance shapes what we consider valuable in our imaginings and experience.

A book written for L.M. Montgomery fans and scholars.

'Now you don't have to hide that Montgomery novel when an intellectual friend drops by. Flaunt it and enjoy.'
Patricia Morley, Ottawa Citizen

Here is the description of the book from the 2014 edition:

When it originally appeared, Elizabeth Rollins Epperly’s The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass was one of the first challenges to the idea that L.M. Montgomery’s books were unworthy of serious study. Examining all of Montgomery’s fiction, Epperly argues that Montgomery was much more than a master of the romance genre and that, through her use of literary allusions, repetitions, irony, and comic inversions, she deftly manipulated the normal conventions of romance novels. Focusing on Montgomery’s memorable heroines, from Anne Shirley to Emily Byrd Starr, Valancy Stirling, and Pat Gardiner, Epperly demonstrates that Montgomery deserves a place in the literary canon not just as the creator of Anne of Green Gables but as an artist in her chosen profession.

Since its publication more than twenty years ago, The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass has become a favourite of scholars, writers, and Montgomery fans. This new edition adds a preface in which Epperly discusses the book’s contribution to the ongoing research on the life and writing of L.M. Montgomery, reflects on how Montgomery studies have flourished over the past two decades, and suggests new ways to approach and explore the Canadian writer’s work.

The 2014 edition of the book includes the following contents:

PREFACE TO THE 2014 EDITION
PERMISSIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABBREVIATIONS

Introduction

PART I ANNE
Romancing the Voice: Anne of Green Gables
Romance Awry: Anne of Avonlea
Recognition: Anne of the Island
'This Enchanted Shore': Anne's House of Dreams
Heroism's Childhood: Rainbow Valley
Womanhood and War: Rilla of Ingleside
Recapturing the Anne World: Anne of Windy Poplars and Anne of Ingleside

PART II EMILY
The Struggle for Voice: Emily of New Moon
Testing the Voice: Emily Climbs
Love and Career: Emily's Quest

PART IIII THE OTHER HEROINES
Romancing the Home: Pat of Silver Bush, Mistress Pat, Jane of Lantern Hill
A Changing Heroism: An Overview of the Other Novels

Epilogue

NOTES
WORKS CITED
INDEX


ISBN-13: 9780802059994


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Created October 17, 1999. Last updated December 19, 2024.
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L.M. Montgomery

L.M. Montgomery by Genevieve Wiggins was published by Twayne Publishers in 1992. The book is volume 834 in Twayne's World Author Series, and it was edited by Ruth K. MacDonald, who Wiggins describes in her preface as a "kindred spirit." The volume includes biographical information on L.M. Montgomery and literary criticism of Montgomery's novels, short stories, and poetry. Wiggins notes in her preface that, "This book is the first full-length critical study of the works of L.M. Montgomery and the first extensive study of her work by a non-Canadian."

Here is the description of the book from its dust cover:

The early promise Montgomery displayed in Anne of Green Gables was fulfilled in many ways. She pursued her writing career with indefatigable determination, publishing 20 novels as well as short stories and poems. Montgomery revitalized the ever-popular orphan story, curtailing its customary sentimentality and creating believable protagonists who are appealingly honest and not always well behaved. A lifelong lover of nature, Montgomery was gifted in her ability to convey a sense of place, especially the rural Canada of her youth.

The book includes the following contents:

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chronology

1 "The Round of Life": L.M. Montgomery

2 "Born of True Love": Anne of Green Gables

3 From Avonlea to Four Winds: 1909–1917

4 More about Anne: 1919–1939

5 "Where Airy Voices Lead": The Emily Trilogy

6 Other Series Heroines: Sara Stanley and Pat Gardiner

7 Novels without Sequels

8 Short Stories and Poems

Afterword

Notes and References

Selected Bibliography

Index


ISBN-13: 978-0805739800


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Created October 16, 1999. Last updated December 9, 2024.
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The Annotated Anne of Green Gables

The Annotated Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones was published by the Oxford University Press in August 1997. This book was the first fully annotated edition of the novel, and it features explanatory notes throughout the text. The volume includes a chronology of L.M. Montgomery's life, a description of the book's publication, and details on the autobiographical connections between L.M. Montgomery and Anne Shirley. In the appendices, the editors reveal the novel's wide-ranging literary and cultural allusions as well as information on the geography and history of Prince Edward Island. In addition, there are in-depth details on the time period in which the novel was set, so modern readers can gain insight to Anne's world.


Here is the description of the volume from the Oxford University Press:

Since its publication in 1908, Anne of Green Gables has been a continuous international best-seller, enjoying successful television adaptations on PBS and The Disney Channel, and captivating children and adults alike with the irresistible charms of its remarkable heroine, Anne Shirley. This wildly imaginative, red-headed chatterbox tries to fit into the narrow confines of Victorian expectations, but her exuberant spirit keeps leaping delightfully beyond the bounds. Indeed, when Maud Montgomery decided to reject the sermonizing formulas of the children's books of her day, she brought to life a character much closer to Jane Eyre, David Copperfield, and Tom Sawyer--also orphans, like Anne--than to the self-sacrificing, conformist heroines then in demand. In doing so, Montgomery subtly questioned the values of her society--the stifling restraints of its religion and most especially its treatment of women--while giving readers all the pleasures of her considerable story-telling gifts.

Now, in this first fully annotated edition of Anne of Green Gables, readers will appreciate more clearly than ever before the scope and depth of this extraordinary novel. Editors Margaret Anne Doody, Mary Doody Jones, and Wendy Barry provide a richly illustrated, completely revised text, along with hundreds of notes describing the real-life characters and settings Anne encounters, the autobiographical connections between Anne and Maud Montgomery, and the book's astonishing range of literary, biblical, and mythological references. Additional essays offer fascinating background information on such topics as the geography and settlement of Prince Edward Island (where Anne takes place); the education, orphanages, music, and literature of Anne's time; and the horticulture, homemade artifacts, and food preparation that are so prevalent in the story. Margaret Anne Doody supplies a comprehensive introduction, which situates the novel in its literary and social contexts, explores those aspects of Montgomery's life most relevant to the story, examines revisions in the manuscripts, and provides an overall sense of both the impulses that drove Montgomery to write Anne of Green Gables and the larger concerns it dramatizes so compellingly. This edition also contains a chronology of Montgomery's life, an extensive bibliography, songs and poems that appear in the text, and a selection of original reviews of the book. This wealth of material enables readers to grasp the marvelous multi-layeredness of the novel and to understand more fully its place in both its own time and in ours.

Elegantly and beautifully designed, with generous illustrations from previous editions, photographs of the places the novel inhabits, and explanatory drawings that reproduce the texture of Anne's world, The Annotated Anne of Green Gables is a major event in the publishing history of one of the world's most charming stories.

Reviews (see additional reviews)

"Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables has reached the status of both children's literary classic and cult phenomenon.... For those unable to visit her home, three serious scholars have annotated the beloved work.... Many period photographs add to the coverage, and the research appears to be so thorough that it seems unlikely that a revised edition of this work will ever be necessary. Those who worship at the feet of the divine Anne Shirley may find that this volume will satisfy all their desires for adulation and information."
-The Horn Book Inc

"There's plenty here for scholars and fans; this edition should not be relegated to the reference shelves."
-Kirkus Reviews

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Created October 15, 1999. Last updated August 20, 2024.
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