The 2024 World of Anne Shirley Gift Guide

Here's a list of gift ideas for the Anne Shirley fans in your life.

1) For a future kindred spirit - The Anne of Green Gables Complete 8-Book Box Set (pictured above) is the perfect way to introduce a friend to Anne Shirley.



2) For fans of the adaptations - These days, we rely on streaming subscriptions, and we rarely own copies of our favorite films and TV series. I think that when you love an adaptation, it's really nice to own it and to be able to watch it anytime instead of renting the right to watch it. You can purchase Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables miniseries collection set on DVD and buy the Anne with an E television series in HD as a gift for a loved one, and they'll be able to enjoy watching Anne Shirley for years to come.



3) For a puzzle lover - This 1014-piece Anne of Green Gables puzzle is sure to please and provide hours of enjoyment. It features artwork inspired by the 1979 anime Anne of Green Gables series. I received this special gift for Christmas and posted about it previously. There are several other Anne puzzles available, including one with Anne Shirley reading a book in front of Green Gables, one with Anne and Diana running through the birch woods, and one with Matthew and Anne's carriage ride through the White Way of Delight.



4) For an art lover - These silhouette prints of Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley by Sealhouette on etsy are so charming and romantic. They're perfect for a library or reading nook containing a collection of L.M. Montgomery's books.



5) For an L.M. Montgomery fan - The Lucy Maud Montgomery Album by Kevin McCabe is a gorgeous coffee table book filled with photos and articles to explore Montgomery's life.



6) An Anne-inspired stocking stuffer - This Anne of Green Gables Christmas ornament is an decoration I love to hang on my Christmas tree each year. I bought one when I visited PEI years ago.


Image credits:
Images of the Anne of Green Gables Complete 8-Book Box Set, Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables Miniseries DVD Set, Anne With an E DVD set, Anne of Green Gables puzzle, The Lucy Maud Montgomery Album, and Anne Shirley Christmas ornament from amazon. Image of silhouette prints of Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley by Sealhouette from etsy.

Created December 12, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Riley Keough on Anne of Green Gables

Today, I ran across another fan of Anne of Green Gables. It's Riley Keough, the American actress and producer known for her roles in Daisy Jones & The Six, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Good Doctor. She is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and the granddaughter of Elvis Presley.

Riley Keough took part in a Lit Check, a new collaboration between Reese Witherspoon's book club and Apple Books to share some of the books she loves. She shared seven of her favorite books in this video, and among them was Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

Here are Riley Keough's book recommendations:

1) Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Riley Keough plays Daisy Jones in the Amazon Prime television miniseries based on this book.
2) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - a book she loved as a little girl.
3) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - She loved this book when she was younger and enjoyed figuring out which character she related to.
4) Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown - Keough reads this classic children's story with her daughter.
5) Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell - a YA book written by an indigenous woman.
6) Know my Name by Chanel Miller - a powerful memoir.
7) From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough - Lisa Marie Presley's memoir, which Riley Keough wrote with her mother.

In discussing why she selected Anne of Green Gables as one of her book picks, Riley Keough says, "My second pick, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I just loved this when I was a little girl. I just was like obsessed with her and just like wanted to live her life."

So many Anne of Green Gables fans agree.

Image credits:
Left: Screencapture of Riley Keough from Lit Check with Riley Keough & Apple Books | Reese's Book Club.
Right: Photograph of Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel © Sullivan Entertainment.

Created December 12, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

December had remembered that it was time for winter...

"But on this particular day it seemed as if December had remembered that it was time for winter and had turned suddenly dull and brooding, with a windless hush predictive of coming snow."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Purchase and read Anne of Avonlea and the Anne of Green Gables series:



Created December 11, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Maud of Green Gables

Maud of Green Gables: How L.M. Montgomery's Anne Enchanted the World is a book by Janet Wilson. Featuring Wilson's impressionist oil paintings, the limited edition picture book was released in September 2024 by Coach House Printing. The book celebrates the 150th anniversary of L.M. Montgomery's birth. It tells the story of L.M. Montgomery's life, how she was inspired to write Anne of Green Gables, and how the novel became a beloved classic worldwide. Throughout the book, there are quotes from Anne of Green Gables and from L.M. Montgomery's autobiography and journals.

In an article in The Wellington Advertiser, Wilson spoke about her book and L.M. Montgomery saying, "It’s kind of everything you’d ever want to know about Green Gables, but maybe you didn’t...A lot of it is about her process, how she came up with an idea, how she fit it into her schedule and why it is so popular internationally."

You can purchase Maud of Green Gables through Janet Wilson's webpage and the Shop at Sullivan website. The softcover book is 36 pages long and measures 8.5” x 11.”

Here is the description of the book from Shop at Sullivan:

Maud of Green Gables: How L. M. Montgomery's Anne Enchanted the World celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of L. M. Montgomery! Featuring the captivating art of Janet Wilson.

This lovely non-fiction book explores the intertwined legacies of Anne Shirley's world and Montgomery’s life, tracing the story of Anne of Green Gables from conception to the 1908 publication, and through its meteoric rise to becoming a beloved classic in Canada and around the world.

Maud of Green Gables considers why L. M. Montgomery’s book has never been out of print and has been translated into over 40 languages, as well as why Anne Shirley is one of the most recognizable characters in all of literature. Much of this fascinating story is told in Montgomery's own words quoted from her autobiography, personal journals, and her debut novel, Anne of Green Gables.

ISBN-13: 978-1-0688776-0-5

Official Website:
Janet Wilson's webpage

Image credit:
Book cover of Maud of Green Gables.

Review:
Maud of Green Gables: How L. M. Montgomery's Anne Enchanted the World - a terrific review of the book by Helen K at CanLit for LittleCanadians.

Reference:
Thompson, Ellouise. (September 6, 2024). Eden Mills author offers colourful glimpse into life, work of renowned author L.M. Montgomery. The Wellington Advertiser. Retrieved from: https://www.wellingtonadvertiser.com/eden-mills-author-offers-colourful-glimpse-into-life-work-of-renowned-author-l-m-montgomery/.

Created December 3, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The Golden Road and the Brattle Book Shop, Part II

Sometimes I feel like L.M. Montgomery is following me around. Last summer, I spotted a postcard with an image of L.M. Montgomery's The Golden Road in the Brattle Book Shop in Boston, Massachusetts. Then, early this year, I saw an old edition of the book when my husband and I were out to dinner. I began feeling that these encounters weren't so random, so I decided to look for the book myself.

This summer, I was on a trip back to Boston, and I returned to the Brattle Book Shop.


I browsed through the books in the children's section, but I didn't see anything by L.M. Montgomery. Then I headed upstairs to the room filled with collectible books. After looking around for a while, I spotted a treasure—an old edition of The Golden Road sitting on a shelf labeled "Illustrated & Children's." After staring at it in astonishment, I took the book off the shelf and gently opened it up. Following a few moments of wonder, I headed downstairs to the cashier with the book in hand thinking I was meant to find it.


The woman at the register looked at the book, and then looked up at me and smiled.

"She's one of my favorites," she said.

"Mine too," I replied.


Happy 150th birthday, L.M. Montgomery. Your writings have touched so many. And I seem to run into your stories and the people who love them all the time.

Image credits:
Photographs by World of Anne Shirley.

Created November 30, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables Manuscript Added to Canada Memory of the World Register

L.M. Montgomery's handwritten manuscript for Anne of Green Gables was added to the Canada Memory of the World Register in honor of the 150th anniversary of the author's birth. The registry is administered by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and spotlights the most significant pieces of Canada’s collective history and heritage.

The Canada Memory of the World Register describes the manuscript as follows:

The manuscript includes 475 pages on which the story is handwritten, and an additional 96 pages of L.M. Montgomery’s notes where she recorded additions and insertions to the text. These provide unique insights into the reflections and creative process of this influential voice in Canadian literature. Confederation Centre of the Arts, in partnership with the L.M. Montgomery Institute and the Robertson Library at the University of Prince Edward Island, launched a bilingual online exhibit in 2023 that allows readers around the world to access the fully digitized manuscript.

This special honor reflects L.M. Montgomery's contributions to Canadian culture.

Image Credit:
Scanned image of the first page of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery from The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript website.

References:
Anne of Green Gables manuscript added to the Canada Memory of the World Register. Canadian Commission for UNESCO. Retrieved from: https://en.ccunesco.ca/about-ccunesco/press/2024/11/anne-of-green-gables-manuscript-memory-of-the-world.

McMackon, Cassidy. (November 29, 2024). 'Anne of Green Gables' recognized as heritage document in UN agency's registry. The Canadian Press. Retrieved from: https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/entertainment/anne-of-green-gables-recognized-as-heritage-document-in-un-agencys-registry/article_fd3d79d5-1667-5f6e-8fb1-66d8d649d12d.html.

Created November 29, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery at the Toronto Public Library

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of L.M. Montgomery's birth, the Toronto Public Library is presenting a special exhibit called "Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery." Located in the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, the exhibit includes first editions of L.M. Montgomery's novels and Montgomery's original letters.

Here is the description of the exhibit from the Toronto Public Library:

Celebrate Lucy Maud Montgomery's 150th birthday with the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books. From first editions of her classic novels to original letters penned by Montgomery herself, this exhibition explores the author's fascinating life and timeless stories. Best known for Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery was a Canadian icon in her own right, publishing 20 novels and countless short stories during her long career.

Free. All are welcome.

Located in the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, on the 4th floor of the Lillian H. Smith Branch.

"Maud's World" opened on September 9, 2024, and the exhibit is ongoing until December 1, 2024. It is located at the Lillian H. Smith Branch of the Toronto Public Library at 239 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1R5. The exhibit is located on the 4th floor and is free to the public.


Official Website:
Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery

Image Credit:
Photograph of Lucy Maud Montgomery at her desk (1932) from Wikimedia Commons.

Reference:
Maud's World: Celebrating 150 Years of Lucy Maud Montgomery. (2024). Toronto Public Library. Retrieved from: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT511151&R=EVT511151.

Created November 29, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Thursday Morning...

"Thursday morning was an ideal Thanksgiving morning—bright, crisp, and sparkling."
-L.M. Montgomery
"Aunt Susanna’s Thanksgiving Dinner"

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Created November 28, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com