Montgomery, L.M. Around the Hearth: Tales of Home and Family. Edited by Joanne Lebold. Originally selected by Rea Wilmshurst. Halifax: Nimbus Publishing, 2022.
Around the Hearth: Tales of Home and Family is a posthumous collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery that was edited by Joanne Lebold (formerly Joanne Wood), from a selection that Rea Wilmshurst had made before her death in 1996. It consists of seventeen stories that were originally published in periodicals between 1895 and 1935. The book was published as a trade paperback by Nimbus Publishing in June 2022.
From the Cover
Although best known for creating the spirited Anne Shirley, L.M. Montgomery had a thriving writing career that included hundreds of short stories and poems. Around the Hearth is a continuation of the Montgomery short story collections edited by Rea Wilmshurst in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, including stories such as “A Baking of Gingersnaps” (1895)—the first story Montgomery ever published. As with Anne, who found a warm and welcoming home and family at Green Gables, these stories focus on homes and families, and the happiness and love people receive from them.
Over many years of careful research and meticulous compiling of resources, Joanne Lebold has curated a collection of short fiction that showcases all the warmth and charisma Montgomery’s fans have come to cherish, and offers a rare glimpse into some of the beloved author’s lesser-known works. Includes seventeen short stories originally published between 1895 and 1935.
Contents
Introduction / Joanne Lebold (1–8)
A Baking of Gingersnaps (9–21)
The Burton Girls’ Patch Party (22–29)
Dora’s Gingerbread (30–42)
As to Mary Ethel’s Apology (43–49)
The Goose Feud (50–58)
A Double Surprise (59–70)
Patchwork (71–76)
Spotty (77–82)
A Homesick Heart (83–91)
The Visit of Geoffrey’s Wife (92–97)
The Springhill Picnic (98–105)
Why Faith Spoke First (106–10)
The Punishment of the Twins (111–25)
Miss Curtis Comes (126–32)
Josephine’s Husband (133–41)
By Way of the Brick Oven (142–95)
Editorial Note (196–97)
Acknowledgements (198)
Other Books by L.M. Montgomery (199–200)