The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder

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"[Anderson] has done a heroic job of assembling, editing, and annotating this final collection of unpublished writing .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

© 2023 Harper (Ebook): 9780062419705

Release date

Ebook: 21 November 2023