The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Written by William Anderson and Laura Ingalls Wilder
Narrated by John Morgan and Tish Hicks
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Available for the first time and collected in one volume, the letters of one of America’s most beloved authors, Laura Ingalls Wilder—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 author, illuminating her thoughts, travels, philosophies, writing career, and dealings with family, friends, and fans as never before.
This is 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—including 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 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, her life as a farm woman, a country journalist, Depression-era author, and years of fame as the writer of the Little House books. This collection is a sequel to her beloved books, and a snapshot into twentieth-century living.
William Anderson
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.
More audiobooks from William Anderson
The Power of Mental Toughness: Discover How to Build Mental Toughness and Control Your Thoughts in Order to Achieve at the Highest Levels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Related audiobooks
The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Wilder Rose: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder - Volume Two: On Life As a Pioneer Woman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder - Volume One: On Wisdom and Virtues Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The First Four Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Long Winter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5These Happy Golden Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Laura Ingalls Wilder Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Town on the Prairie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On the Banks of Plum Creek Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5By the Shores of Silver Lake Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Caroline: Little House, Revisited Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farmer Boy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Little House on the Prairie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little House in the Big Woods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sarah, Plain and Tall Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Prairie Devotional: Inspired by the Beloved TV Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House's Ma Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caddie Woodlawn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Swiss Family Robinson Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heidi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Journey Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Letters of a Woman Homesteader Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anne of Green Gables Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Railway Children Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Five Little Peppers and How They Grew Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Caleb's Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Men Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
General Fiction For You
A Court of Thorns and Roses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Court of Mist and Fury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Court of Wings and Ruin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stardust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Omens: A Full Cast Production Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Frost and Starlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Their Eyes Were Watching God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neverwhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods [TV Tie-In]: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Duke and I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dead Zone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Return of the King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder
29 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Oh my, this was truly wonderful. It touched my heart like no other book has for some time. I first heard my teacher, Mrs. Pamela Higgs, read this to me and my fourth grade class way back during the Bicentennial celebration. Laura Ingalls Wilder caught my attention and held it raptly. I saved my allowances of fifty cents each week to buy her books, which then cost $2.50 in paperback with the Garth Williams illustrations. Mrs. Wilder was one of the most influential people in my life as I read, re-read, and asked for her books for every birthday and Christmas.
I've read several books about Mrs. Wilder's life over the last forty plus years. None touched me like The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder written by William Anderson and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I believe that this is largely because Tish Hicks read Laura's letters brilliantly. As Mrs. Hicks read, I felt that I was listening as Laura was speaking. She even started with a young voice and aged with Laura as the years passed.
It's hard to say what this meant to me. It felt a bit like closure. Something that was stirred to life in me as a ten year old has grown through the years I've learned to do myself, to make do, and make something out of nothing, and it has come to full fruition as I listened to this wonderful antholology of letters that Mr. Anderson collected and put into order then explained as each was read. She was little Laura, Laura the young wife, Laura the mother, Laura the writer, and Laura the beloved elderly author. I was little Laura, Laura the young wife, Laura the mother, Laura the writer and who knows what my future holds. I just know that I am richer for "knowing" Laura Ingalls Wilder, and that William Anderson and Tish Hicks have given a middle aged woman a great deal of pleasure.
Sincerely,
Laura Lane
Thank you Scribd for making this selection available. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a wonderful collection of personal, business and fan letters written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Each letter is prefaced by a short, insightful editorial with some background information. I’ve read everything written by Ms. Wilder and felt I knew much about her, but this book gave me an even better understanding of her life.Included are letters to her husband, Almanzo, telling him of her travels, letters to her editors including her business dealings with them, heartfelt letters to fans and what I found to be the most interesting, letters to her daughter Rose as they collaborate on the writing of the Little House books. Some of the letters include stories that aren’t included in the Little House series that Laura sent to her daughter for possible use in Rose’s fictional novels. I found it fascinating to read of Laura’s thoughts on what to include and how to edit the portions of the books she had sent to Rose for review. There are even letters from Almanzo to Rose telling her some of his own stories and letters from Rose to Laura.I hadn’t realized that the Little House series was the first multi-volume novel for children ever written. It has been a much loved series over the years and has entertained many children and adults. I read the whole series to my own daughter and now she’s reading them to her son.This is a comprehensive collection of letters and is very well edited. It was a pleasure to spend time with Ms. Wilder and her family once again. Highly recommended for those who love Ms. Wilder’s work and for any history buff.This book was given to me by the publisher through Edelweiss in return for an honest review.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kind of disappointing, because the letters aren't allowed to stand on their own. Almost every one is introduced with context, often unnecessary; and worse, each one has a cutesy 'title' in italics which is a phrase excerpted from the letter. I trained myself quickly to ignore these titles. I've always found it annoying to read something in a pull-out, and then read the exact same words again.The letters span her adult life and are chronological. It is sad to thus 'watch' her grow old. No new revelations here for any serious fan.