A trip to a warehouse bookstore in the middle of nowhere produced a great find! I had just about given up the hope of finding something interesting until this book caught my eye: Nonquitt A Summer Album, 1872-1985, edited by Anne M. Lyell. What is so significant about Nonquitt? This is where Louisa May Alcott …
Fleshing out Anna Alcott Pratt
Friends and biographers of Anna Alcott Pratt are so busy singing her praises as a loving and selfless daughter, wife and mother that is was hard to find more substantive information. That is, until I came across Little Women Letters from the House of Alcott. Co-authors Jessie Bonstelle and Marian deForest offered journal entries from …
Meet the real Meg March
Ever wonder about the woman who inspired the character of Meg March? About Meg In Little Women, Meg is the oldest of the March sisters and in all respects, the most mainstream member of the family. She is pretty, dutiful and virtuous, almost old for her age. Meg’s major flaw is her yearning for material …
The art of conversation, Bronson-style
Through his illustrious life, Bronson Alcott used many means to preach and teach his unique message of transcendentalism. In the early part of his career he used his gifts as a teacher to educate the young through the art of conversation (see previous post). As he believed the Divine resided in each child, he sought …
Intimate letters
Well, I haven't finished it yet but I wanted to share the second anecdotal volume I got from the Worcester Public Library, Little Women Letters from the House of Alcott by Jessie Bonstelle and Marian De Forest, published in 1914. Origin of the book - inspired by Jo Both women felt compelled to compile this …
Getting to know the Alcotts through neighbors and friends
Between my trip to the Worcester library and the new Nook, I have been buried! Tons of reading all at once (which means tons of notetaking, and tons of fun!). As I come up for air, I wanted to share with you some new rather old books I found. A treasure trove from the library …
Continue reading "Getting to know the Alcotts through neighbors and friends"
Birth of a visionary educator: Bronson Alcott, part 3 (reflections on Eden’s Outcasts)
Part 3 of a series on Bronson Alcott: his rise, fall and redemption, based on reflections from John Matteson's biography Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father If you want to refresh your memory on previous posts in this series, here are the links: Read Part One here Read Part Two here …
Finding his mission: Bronson Alcott, part 2 (reflections on Eden’s Outcasts)
How did a remote and poor farm boy evolve into a visionary educator? This is one of the great questions regarding Bronson Alcott for which I wanted answers. John Matteson in Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father provides some interesting insight. In the beginning In the first chapter Matteson traces …
Continue reading "Finding his mission: Bronson Alcott, part 2 (reflections on Eden’s Outcasts)"
Amy’s Art
I have the pleasure today of presenting a guest post by artist Amy Hintze. I happened to find two watercolor paintings of a scene out of the lives of the Alcott family on Google and was led to her website. Amy is a painter for Music and the Spoken Word, a weekly broadcast with the …
Continuing with Marmee, the Mother of Little Women: tantalizing look into Lizzie Alcott
Quite a while ago I promised to write more on Marmee, the Mother of Little Womenby Sandford Meddick Salyer and as usual, I got sidetracked (have to stop going to the library! :-)). As I mentioned before in my first post, this book was a very pleasurable read chock full of information. Salyer did his …
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 