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Tag: Twice upon a Time

And Then There Were Three

Cover of A Name for Herself: Selected Writings, 1891–1917
Cover of A World of Songs: Selected Poems, 1894–1921
Cover art for /Twice upon a Time: Selected Stories, 1898–1939/, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Benjamin Lefebvre. The top two-thirds of the cover depict framed images of Anne Shirley, a Caucasian woman with red hair, against a vintage blue wallpaper; the bottom third of the image includes the title, the author's name, and the editor's name against a beige background.
Covers for A Name for Herself: Selected Writings, 1891–1917, A World of Songs: Selected Poems, 1894–1921, and Twice upon a Time: Selected Stories, 1898–1939, the first three volumes in The L.M. Montgomery Library, edited by Benjamin Lefebvre. Courtesy of University of Toronto Press.

I’m happy to report that Twice upon a Time, the third volume in The L.M. Montgomery Library and consisting of two dozen short stories (many of which are collected in book form for the first time) from across Montgomery’s career as a short story writer, is now out in the world. As a way to promote this book, I’d like to do a Q&A on this website. So if you have any questions for me about this book, this book series, Montgomery’s periodical career, or any other aspect of Montgomery’s life, work, and legacy, I’d like to hear from you! Please contact me with your questions and I’ll answer as many of them as I can.

To commemorate the publication of this latest book, University of Toronto Press has made all seven of my L.M. Montgomery books—including the three-volume critical anthology The L.M. Montgomery Readeravailable at a 40% discount. I have no idea how long these books will be available at that price, but this is a great opportunity to get caught up on any titles you’ve missed.

Twice upon a Time: Pre-release Sightings

Screenshot detail of the following text, alongside a cover image that shows two framed images of red-headed women hanging side by side on a wall with vintage blue wallpaper. The text reads as follows:
Hello Benjamin Lefebvre,
Based on your recent activity, we thought you might be interested in this.
Twice upon a Time: Selected Stories, 1898-1939
L.M. Montgomery, Benjamin Lefebvre
Price: $29.95
Learn More

A few days ago, I received an automated email from a certain large book retailer suggesting that I might be interested in Twice upon a Time, the upcoming third volume in The L.M. Montgomery Library. While this isn’t the first time this particular bookstore chain has sent me an email recommending my own book, I appreciated receiving this email because it reminded me that there have been a couple of updates regarding this book that I’ve been meaning to share with you.

Although the book won’t be released for a few more weeks (likely the end of June for the paperback and early July for the hardcover), there are now a couple of ways that you can preview the book prior to its release. The first is that the ebook version available to institutional libraries is now available, and although users need to access it through a university library’s catalogue, elements at the front of the book—including the book’s preface—are freely available to read. The second is that the book is available on Netgalley for people who are interested in writing an advance review (I’ve seen three so far on Goodreads, which I very much appreciate!). The third is that a selection of interior pages can now be browsed on a number of platforms, including Google Books.

You can purchase this book directly from the publisher, University of Toronto Press, at substantial discounts, in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats, or from your favourite bookseller.

Shop Local (paperback)
Shop Local (hardcover)
Amazon.ca (Canada) (paperback/hardcover/Kindle)
Amazon.com.au (Australia) (paperback/hardcover/Kindle)
Amazon.com.br (Brazil) (paperback/hardcover/Kindle)
Amazon.co.jp (Japan) (paperback/hardcover/Kindle)
Amazon.co.uk (UK) (paperback/hardcover/Kindle)
Amazon.se (Sweden) (paperback/hardcover)
Angus and Robertson (Australia) (paperback)
Angus and Robertson (Australia) (hardcover)
Barnes and Noble (paperback/hardcover/Nook Book)
Blackwells (UK) (paperback)
Blackwells (UK) (hardcover)
Chapters Indigo (paperback)
Chapters Indigo (hardcover)
Chapters Indigo (kobo)
Google Play (ebook)
Indie Bound (paperback)
Indie Bound (hardcover)
McNally Robinson (paperback)
McNally Robinson (hardcover)
Waterstones (paperback)
Waterstones (hardcover)
Wheelers (New Zealand)

And if you like the books in this series, please consider recommending them to your public or institutional library and contributing a ranking or a review on your favourite book-related website. Your support is much appreciated!

Cover Reveal: Twice upon a Time

It is with great pleasure that I share with you today the cover of Twice upon a Time: Selected Stories, 1898–1939, which will be published in spring 2022 as the third volume in The L.M. Montgomery Library. Because the book collects twenty-five stories that include early incarnations of well-known characters, storylines, conversations, and settings from Montgomery’s novels, I am thrilled that the cover art repurposes details from the first-edition covers of Anne of Avonlea and Chronicles of Avonlea (both of which were drawn by George Gibbs, whose work is featured on the cover of the original edition of Anne of Green Gables as well), especially since the placement of the framed images gives the impression that the Anne on the left is looking over her shoulder at the Anne on the right.

Twice upon a Time can now be pre-ordered from a number of vendors, including at a substantial discount from University of Toronto Press, or from your favourite bookseller.

Announcing Twice upon a Time

Placeholder cover for Twice upon a Time: Selected Stories, 1898–1939

I’m very proud to announce the forthcoming publication, in spring 2022, of Twice upon a Time: Selected Stories, 1898–1939, the third volume in The L.M. Montgomery Library, a collection of L.M. Montgomery’s short stories that reveals how she revised her periodical fiction for her books, including Anne of Green Gables and its ever-popular sequels.

Although L.M. Montgomery (1874–1942) is best remembered for the twenty-two book-length works of fiction that she published in her lifetime, from Anne of Green Gables (1908) to Anne of Ingleside (1939), she also contributed some five hundred short stories and serials to a wide range of North American and British periodicals from 1895 to 1940. While most of these stories demonstrate her ability to produce material that would fit the mainstream periodical fiction market as it evolved across almost half a century, many of them also contain early incarnations of characters, storylines, conversations, and settings that she would rework for inclusion in her novels and collections of linked short stories.

In Twice upon a Time, the third volume in The L.M. Montgomery Library, Benjamin Lefebvre collects and discusses over two dozen stories from across Montgomery’s career as a short fiction writer, many of them available in book form for the first time. The volume offers a rare glimpse into Montgomery’s creative process in adapting her periodical work for her books, which continue to fascinate readers all over the world.

Twice upon a Time is preceded by A Name for Herself: Selected Writings, 1891–1917 and A World of Songs: Selected Poems, 1894–1921, the first two volumes in this series, which you can order from your favourite bookseller or at a substantial discount from the University of Toronto Press website. This book has been in the works for several years, so it is with great anticipation on my part that it will be available soon to Montgomery’s worldwide readership. If you’d like to receive more information about this book as it becomes available—including the cover, preordering information, and some sneak previews—please subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in the box below and follow this website on Facebook and on Twitter.

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