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William T. Anderson
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The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder Kindle Edition

by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author), William Anderson (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 328 ratings
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New York Times Bestseller: “Wilder’s letters display a writer who kept her head amid growing fame, remaining sweet, down-to-earth, and immensely likable.” —Publishers Weekly

Available for the first time, these letters of one of America’s most beloved authors are a treasure trove that offers new and unexpected understanding of her life and work. The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a vibrant, deeply personal portrait of this revered American writer, illuminating her thoughts, travels, philosophies, career, and dealings with family, friends, and fans as never before—a fresh look at the adult life of the author in her own words.

Gathered from museums and archives and personal collections, the letters span over sixty years of Wilder’s life, from 1894–1956, and shed new light on Wilder’s day-to-day life. Here we see her as a businesswoman and author—with insights into her beloved Little House books; her legendary editor, Ursula Nordstrom; and her readers—as a wife, and as a friend. In her letters, Wilder shares her philosophies, political opinions, and reminiscences of life as a frontier child. Also included are letters to her daughter, writer Rose Wilder Lane, who filled a silent role as editor and collaborator while the renowned Little House books were being written.

Wilder biographer William Anderson collected and researched references throughout these letters and the result is an invaluable historical collection, tracing Wilder’s life through the final days of covered wagon travel; her life as a farm woman, a country journalist, and Depression-era author; and her years of fame as the writer of the Little House books. This collection is a wonderful accompaniment to her cherished books, and a snapshot of an era gone by.

“In her letters, just as in her books and in person, Laura Ingalls Wilder is effortlessly sunny good company . . . wonderfully human letters.” —Christian Science Monitor

“[Anderson] has done a heroic job of assembling, editing, and annotating this final collection of unpublished writing . . . Wilder fans will surely rejoice.” —Booklist
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  1. Print length
    420 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Harper
  5. Publication date
    March 8, 2016
  6. File size
    7387 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A must for a new generation of readers of Wilder’s stories and for those who recall having enjoyed the “Little House” books as a child and wish to gain further insight into the life of the series’ author.” — Library Journal

“Wilder fans will surely rejoice at this collection, which may also serve to introduce a new generation of readers to this important and much-loved American author.” — Booklist

“[I]n her letters, just as in her books and in person, Laura Ingalls Wilder is effortlessly sunny good company...[R]eading these wonderfully human letters will make every reader hope for more.” — Christian Science Monitor

From the Back Cover

Available for the first time and collected in one volume, the letters of one of America’s most beloved authors, The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a treasure trove that offers a new and unexpected understanding of her life and work. This wonderful book is a deeply personal portrait of the revered author, illuminating her thoughts, travels, philosophies, writing career, and dealings with family, friends, and fans as never before.

The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder compiles fascinating materials gathered from museums, archives, and personal collections. The letters span more than sixty years, and shed new light on Wilder’s day-to-day living. Through reflections on her beloved Little House books, letters with her legendary editor, Ursula Nordstrom, and her readers, we discover new facets to Wilder as a businesswoman and author. In deeply thoughtful correspondence, she shares her political opinions and reminisces of her frontier childhood. Also included are letters to her daughter, writer Rose Wilder Lane, who filled a silent role as editor and collaborator while the famous Little House books were being written.

Wilder biographer William Anderson collected and researched references throughout these letters, and the result is an invaluable historical collection, tracing Wilder’s life through the final days of covered wagon travel and her years of fame as the writer of the Little House books. The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a remarkable sequel to her beloved stories and a snapshot of twentieth-century living.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ZP5WMTW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; Reprint edition (March 8, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 8, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 7387 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 420 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 328 ratings

About the author

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William T. Anderson

William T. Anderson

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William Anderson is a historian, educator, and author of twenty-five books of biography, travel, and history. His groundbreaking research on Laura Ingalls Wilder and her books led to many HarperCollins titles, including Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography, Laura Ingalls Wilder Country, and A Little House Sampler. He has also written for Travel & Leisure, the Saturday Evening Post, the Christian Science Monitor, and many other national magazines. Anderson is a frequent speaker at conferences, schools, and libraries. He makes his home in Michigan.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
328 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

noir fan
5.0 out of 5 stars letters give a portrait of an intriguing woman
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book. I wouldn't consider myself a LIW scholar. I know many people have more knowledge of the writer than I do. However, I do see a lot of misunderstandings and misinformation abounding on the Internet about Wilder, and I think a lot of it stems from the bits and pieces of Wilder's letters, and those of her daughter Rose Wilder Lane, that have been used by biographers to make points, sometimes out of context. The great thing about this book is that I could read letters in their entirety, see what may have been left out, perhaps clarify things others have written. The only bad thing about the book is that only Laura's letters were included, so sometimes I was left wondering what was said in response to a letter of Wilder's, or what triggered a response. I'm hoping that a scholar somewhere is preparing a book of Rose Wilder Lane's letters to her mother so I can get even more context.
8 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I love her books
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
I love her books. I love reading her stories that go beyond "Little House..." I love the letter format, it seems more personal. The letters are in her "voice" instead of having the travels and adventures summed up by someone else. For those of us who have always experienced life with cars, phones, TV, radio, etc. it is interesting to get a little taste of what life was like before all those things were commonplace. She experienced all those things when they were new. Traveling back then was so different. Her letters help bring you back to those times and you feel as if you are there, with Laura, experiencing the city, the travel, etc. the way she was seeing it.
3 people found this helpful
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SUSAN K HAASE
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved reading this
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
I'm an Ingalls descendant. I live in Wisconsin. I've been to all the homes, except in Missouri. We are proud of our heritage!
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Kindle
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, relaxing book
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2023
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This book is well done, so much research. I did tend to skim most of it. It is good but not completely to my interest.
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Sue Cagley
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book offers a fascinating look into the life of one of my favorite authors. I don’t remember when I was introduced to the Little House books, but I collected them and read them more than once. These letters offer the inside look into the process that brought Laura Ingalls Wilder from diarist to renowned author. Some chapters were quite long, but all kept this reader’s attention.
6 people found this helpful
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Matthew Dobeck
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a treat - this book allows you to get to know Ms Wilder!
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
This selection of letters was very well put together and lets the reader get to know the real Laura Ingalls Wilder in a time when things were quite different from the stories she wrote about her childhood. She was such a hard worker even in her advanced years. I will say that even though the letters span several years, a lot of the content is somewhat repetitive as her concerns about promoting and selling of her books rarely wavered.
4 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Collection of Letters for "Little House" Fans!
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
I always loved the Little House books and I learned much more about them and about Laura Ingalls Wilder, husband Almanzo, and daughter Rose. I want to read Farmer Boy now, which I never knew of, and all of the Little House Series, and do ish Pioneer Girl which I bought last year. If you're fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book.
9 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars The Well is Not Dry
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
The well is not dry, no matter what Mr. Anderson may say. There are many, many more letters from Laura not yet published. And the letters from her daughter Rose, in response to the letters. Would have made a much more interesting read if those were included. Most of the letters from school children were published in "Letters to Laura". Those also would have made good reading with Laura's answers. And most of all, the letters from Mr. Anderson to Rose Wilder Lane, and her answers to those letters. Mr. Anderson frequently refers to these in his works, but has never disclosed the content.
All in all the book is a retread of material covered early and often.
4 people found this helpful
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