Anne of Green Gables is L.M. Montgomery’s first, most celebrated, and best-known book, first published in June 1908 by L.C. Page and Company (Boston). It is the first of eleven books to feature Montgomery’s protagonist Anne Shirley Blythe, followed by Anne of Avonlea (1909), Chronicles of Avonlea (1912), Anne of the Island (1915), Anne’s House of Dreams (1917), Rainbow Valley (1919), Further Chronicles of Avonlea (1920), Rilla of Ingleside (1921), Anne of Windy Poplars (1936), Anne of Ingleside (1939), and The Blythes Are Quoted (2009).
The novel has been adapted numerous times for film, television, and stage, including a 1919 silent film, a 1934 “talkie” film, a 1965 stage musical that has remained a mainstay at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown, a 1972 BBC miniseries, a 1985 television miniseries from Sullivan Entertainment that launched a parallel Montgomery universe popularized through several television programs, a set of three telefilms from Breakthrough Productions, and the recent series Anne with an “E” (2017–2019). This novel has been reprinted in numerous formats and editions, translated into forty languages, and abridged several times for younger readers. It has also been republished in the form of critical editions: The Annotated Anne of Green Gables (1997), edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones; a Broadview edition (2004), edited by Cecily Devereux; and a Norton edition (2007), edited by Mary Henley Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston. A Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of the novel, with a foreword by J. Courtney Sullivan and an introduction by Benjamin Lefebvre, was published in November 2017.
This novel has also been the focus of a tremendous amount of scholarship, including book-length studies such as Kindling Spirit: L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables (1993), by Elizabeth Waterston; Looking for Anne: How Lucy Maud Montgomery Dreamed Up a Literary Classic (2008), by Irene Gammel; as well as collections of essays such as Such a Simple Little Tale: Critical Responses to L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables (1992), edited by Mavis Reimer; 100 Years of Anne with an “e”: The Centennial Study of Anne of Green Gables (2009), edited by Holly Blackford, Anne’s World: A New Century of Anne of Green Gables (2010), edited by Irene Gammel and Benjamin Lefebvre, and Anne around the World: L.M. Montgomery and Her Classic (2013), edited by Jane Ledwell and Jean Mitchell.
“Anne of Green Gables is worth a thousand of the problem stories with which the bookstores are crowded to-day, and we venture the opinion that this simple story of rural life in Canada will be read and reread when many of the more pretentious stories are all forgotten. There is not a dull page in the whole volume. . . .”
–Globe (Toronto)
Epigraph
“The good stars met in your horoscope,
Made you of spirit and fire and dew.”
—Browning
Dedication
To the memory of
My Father and Mother
Contents
I. Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised
II. Matthew Cuthbert Is Surprised
III. Marilla Cuthbert Is Surprised
IV. Morning at Green Gables
V. Anne’s History
VI. Marilla Makes Up Her Mind
VII. Anne Says Her Prayers
VIII. Anne’s Bringing-Up Is Begun
IX. Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Properly Horrified
X. Anne’s Apology
XI. Anne’s Impressions of Sunday-School
XII. A Solemn Vow and Promise
XIII. The Delights of Anticipation
XIV. Anne’s Confession
XV. A Tempest in the School Teapot
XVI. Diana Is Invited to Tea with Tragic Results
XVII. A New Interest in Life
XVIII. Anne to the Rescue
XIX. A Concert, a Catastrophe, and a Confession
XX. A Good Imagination Gone Wrong
XXI. A New Departure in Flavourings
XXII. Anne Is Invited Out to Tea
XXIII. Anne Comes to Grief in an Affair of Honour
XXIV. Miss Stacy and Her Pupils Get Up a Concert
XXV. Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves
XXVI. The Story Club Is Formed
XXVII. Vanity and Vexation of Spirit
XXVIII. An Unfortunate Lily Maid
XXIX. An Epoch in Anne’s Life
XXX. The Queen’s Class Is Organized
XXXI. Where the Brook and River Meet
XXXII. The Pass List Is Out
XXXIII. The Hotel Concert
XXXIV. A Queen’s Girl
XXXV. The Winter at Queen’s
XXXVI. The Glory and the Dream
XXXVII. The Reaper Whose Name Is Death
XXXVIII. The Bend in the Road
Reviews of Anne of Green Gables (55)
The Journal of Education (Boston), 2 July 1908, 66 (“Anne of Gray [sic] Gables”).
New York Times Saturday Review, 18 July 1908, 404 (“A Heroine from an Asylum”). Children’s Literature Review, edited by Gerard J. Senick (Detroit: Gale, 1985), 8: 131. The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 483. Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, edited by Janet Witalec (Detroit: Gale, 2003), 140: 277–78. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Cecily Devereux (Peterborough: Broadview Editions, 2004), 391. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Mary Henley Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2007), 335. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 52–53.
Montreal Daily Herald, 21 July 1908, 4. The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 484. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Cecily Devereux (Peterborough: Broadview Editions, 2004), 391–92. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 53 (as “[Will Appeal to Every Reader]”).
Boston Evening Transcript, 22 July 1908, 16 (“A Girl with an Imagination”). The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 483–84.
Sun (New York), 25 July 1908, 5. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 53–54 (as “[An Imaginative, Eager Child]”).
The Bookman (New York), August 1908, 630. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Cecily Devereux (Peterborough: Broadview Editions, 2004), 395.
Times-Dispatch (Richmond, VA), 2 August 1908, 5.
The Bellman (Minneapolis), 8 August 1908, 880.
Boston Budget and Beacon, 8 August 1908, 4 (Anne Henszey Bradford). The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 484–85.
Montreal Daily Star, 8 August 1908, 2 (George Murray). The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 484–85.
Saint John (NB) Globe, 8 August 1908, 10. The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 486. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 54–55 (as “[A Pathetic Little Tale]”).
Sunday News (Charleston), 9 August 1908, 15.
Gazette (Montreal), 14 August 1908, 8. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 55 (as “[Picture of Prince Edward Island Life and Character]”).
Boston Journal, 15 August 1908, 9. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 55–56 (as “[A Pleasant Book of the Hour]”).
Globe (Toronto), 15 August 1908, Saturday Magazine Section, 5. The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 486–87. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Cecily Devereux (Peterborough: Broadview Editions, 2004), 392–93. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Mary Henley Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2007), 336–37 (as “[Sunshine and Shadow]”). The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 56–57 (as “[A Story So Pure and Sweet]”).
The Living Age (New York), 15 August 1908, 446. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 57 (as “[A Girl to Remember]”).
The Outlook (New York), 22 August 1908, 956–57. Children’s Literature Review, edited by Gerard J. Senick (Detroit: Gale, 1985), 8: 131 (excerpted). The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 487. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Cecily Devereux (Peterborough: Broadview Editions, 2004), 393–94.
Oregonian (Portland), 30 August 1908, 11.
Philadelphia Inquirer, 31 August 1908, 5 (“A Nice Story for Young Girls”).
Education (Boston), September 1908, 25.
Plain Dealer (Cleveland), 13 September 1908, Editorial and Dramatic Section, 3. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 57–58 (as “[An ‘Ugly Duckling’ Story, After All]”).
The Christian Register (Boston), 24 September 1908, 1043.
Evening News (San Jose), 8 October 1908, 3 (“Anne of Green Gables Is a Story for Girls”). The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 58.
New York Tribune, 31 October 1908, 8. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 58 (as “[An Engaging Bit of Juvenilia]”).
ALA Booklist (Chicago), November 1908, 274. The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 488. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 59 (as “[Lively Story of an Orphan Girl]”).
The Book News Monthly (Philadelphia), November 1908, 200–201. Also in Fort Worth (TX) Telegram, 29 November 1908, Section 3, 8. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 59 (as “[A Winner of Hearts]”).
The Canadian Magazine (Toronto), November 1908, 87–89. The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 488–89. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Cecily Devereux (Peterborough: Broadview Editions, 2004), 394. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 59–60 (as “[A Charming Character Study]”).
The Smart Set (New York), November 1908, 160.
Zion’s Herald (Boston), 11 November 1908, 1462.
Grand Rapids (MI) Press, 14 November 1908, 10.
The Religious Telescope (Dayton, OH), 18 November 1908, 26.
The Standard (Chicago), 21 November 1908, 12.
Syracuse Herald, 23 November 1908, 4 (“Anne’s Adventures”).
Colorado Springs Gazette, 28 November 1908, 9. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 60–61 (as “[Fresh Tale of Country Life]”).
The Fourth Estate (New York), 28 November 1908, 18.
Kindergarten Review (Springfield, MA), December 1908, 250–51.
National Magazine (Boston), December 1908, Books o’ the Month Section, n.pag. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 61–63 (as “[Arcadian Purity and Simplicity]”).
The School Journal (New York), December 1908, 152.
New York Observer (New York), 3 December 1908, 736. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 64 (as “[A Delightful Book]”).
Boston Herald, 5 December 1908, 8.
Seattle Sunday Times, 6 December 1908, 6.
The Christian Advocate (New York), 10 December 1908, 2059.
Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City), 13 December 1908, 24 (“A Waif Makes Good”).
Times Literary Supplement (London), 21 January 1909, 27. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 64 (as “[A Canadian Tale of Domestic Sentiment]”).
The Athenaeum (London), 23 January 1909, 104.
Otago Daily Times (New Zealand), 18 February 1909, 3.
New-Church Messenger (Chicago), 24 February 1909, 125.
Vogue (New York), 4 March 1909, 382. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 64–65 (as “[An Irrepressible Idealist and Optimist]”).
Patriot (Charlottetown), 9 March 1909, 8. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Mary Henley Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2007), 338 (as “[Favourably Received in the Old World]”).
Spectator (London), 13 March 1909, 426–27. The Annotated Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Wendy E. Barry, Margaret Anne Doody, and Mary E. Doody Jones (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 489. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Cecily Devereux (Peterborough: Broadview Editions, 2004), 395–96. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Mary Henley Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2007), 337–38 (as “[Winning Our Sympathies]”). The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 65–66 (as “[An Alternative Entertainment]”).
Home Needlework Magazine (Florence, MA), April 1909, 166. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 66–67 (as “[Straight to the Heart]”).
McCook (NE) Tribune, 9 April 1909, 4.
The Bookman (London), May 1909, 97. The L.M. Montgomery Reader, 3: 67 (as “[Lifelike—Never]”).
Common Sense (Chicago), May 1909, 22.
The New Outlook (Toronto), 31 January 1934, 23.
Published on 1 August 2008; last updated on 30 March 2024. Please contact the site owner with additions, corrections, questions, and suggestions.