Laura Ingalls Wilder

Stephen W. Hines

Newspaper articles written between 1911 and 1925 describe the author's life in the years following those covered in her children's books.

The Rediscovered Writings

Little House in the Ozarks

Louisa May Alcott

C. Michael Dudash

For the first time, all of Alcott's known Christmas short stories and novellas are published in a single volume. These 15 enchanting tales filled with hope, sorrow, faith, joy, redemption, strength, and goodness will appeal to readers of all ages. Illustrations.

Louisa May Alcott's Christmas Treasury

Before Laura Ingalls Wilder found fame with her Little House books, she made a name for herself with short nonfiction pieces in magazines and newspapers. Read today, these pieces offer insight into her development as a writer and depict farm life in the Ozarks—and also show us a different Laura Ingalls Wilder from the woman we have come to know. This volume collects essays by Wilder that originally appeared in the Missouri Ruralist between 1911 and 1924. Building on the initial compilation of these articles under the title Little House in the Ozarks, this revised edition marks a more comprehensive collection by adding forty-two additional Ruralist articles and restoring passages previously omitted from other articles. Writing as “Mrs. A. J. Wilder” about modern life in the early twentieth-century Ozarks, Laura lends her advice to women of her generation on such timeless issues as how to be an equal partner with their husbands, how to support the new freedoms they’d won with the right to vote, and how to maintain important family values in their changing world. Yet she also discusses such practical matters as how to raise chickens, save time on household tasks, and set aside time to relax now and then. New articles in this edition include “Making the Best of Things,” “Economy in Egg Production,” and “Spic, Span, and Beauty.” “Magic in Plain Foods” reflects her cosmopolitanism and willingness to take advantage of new technologies, while “San Marino Is Small but Mighty” reveals her social-political philosophy and her interest in cooperation and community as well as in individualism and freedom. Mrs. Wilder was firmly committed to living in the present while finding much strength in the values of her past. A substantial introduction by Stephen W. Hines places the essays in their biographical and historical context, showing how these pieces present Wilder’s unique perspective on life and politics during the World War I era while commenting on the challenges of surviving and thriving in the rustic Ozark hill country. The former little girl from the little house was entering a new world and wrestling with such issues as motor cars and new “labor-saving” devices, but she still knew how to build a model small farm and how to get the most out of a dollar. Together, these essays lend more insight into Wilder than do even her novels and show that, while technology may have improved since she wrote them, the key to the good life hasn’t changed much in almost a century. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist distills the essence of her pioneer heritage and will delight fans of her later work as it sheds new light on a vanished era.

Writings from the Ozarks

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist

The beloved author of the Little House books was not only one of America's great pioneer storytellers but a woman of vibrant faith. A Prairie Girl's Faith provides the first extended, in depth discussion of the Christian faith of one of America's most beloved pioneer women--Laura Ingalls Wilder. Although the faith of the Ingalls' family pervades books in the Little House series, the more specific details of Laura's faith have never been fully explored. It took extraordinary pluck for anyone to survive the harshness of frontier life--from the heartbreak of sudden crop losses to murderous storms to unrelenting loneliness. This book reveals how in surviving, the brave Laura drew not just on her character, but found encouragement, strength, and hope in her relationship with God.

The Spiritual Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Prairie Girl's Faith

Richard Hull

A treasury of fairy poems, written in 1915 by the author of the Little House series, is collected for the first time and is accompanied by lush illustrations, as well as an excerpt from the author's essay, "Fairies Still Appear to Those with Seeing Eyes."

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Fairy Poems

With The Late Season, Stephen Hines' debut story collection, the lives revealed and the places they inhabit are an easy dimension to switch into. Each mysterious and intimate, these stories have a unique ambience of exotic and sparse ordinariness. The mood is a steady heartbeat even when the characters are anguished.

The Late Season

Using selections from her works and memoirs of people who knew her, presents the thoughts of Laura Ingalls Wilder on the proper conduct of young women.

On Life as a Pioneer Woman

Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder

The first in-depth look at the spiritual path of legendary storyteller Laura Ingalls Wilder. With her extraordinary God-given pluck, the creator of the epic Little House series survived the harshness of frontier life—from the heartbreak of sudden crop losses to murderous storms to unrelenting loneliness. Yet in every season, Laura found strength through her relationship with God. Now, several generations later, Laura’s insights about work and rest, trust in the face of hardship, and the value of faith are more relevant than ever. Through Laura’s discerning newspaper pieces as an early advice columnist, interviews with people who knew her personally, and extensive investigation by Stephen Hines, we witness an authentic faith that comes not from pretending all is well but from growing through difficult times. With photos and authentic recipes from the Little House era, A Prairie Girl’s Faith also opens a wider window into the lives of pioneers as it offers a revealing look at the beliefs, character, and culture into which Laura was born and grew to maturity.

Stephen W. Hines

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