MetaChat - Calling All Little House Fans

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05 May 2011

Calling All Little House Fans - I've found a copy of Pioneer Girl, Laura Ingalls Wilder's unpublished base story for all of her books. I've long wanted to read it, but the LIW Home Association keeps it under tight wraps (you can't see it let alone read it) and the only way to get a copy is through requesting printouts of the microfilm. Those printouts cost about 50¢ per page which can add up.→[More:]

I found (or rediscovered) this site last night. She also has a blog. And in her side-blog there was a link to a dissertation which has a transcribed copy of Pioneer Girl (PDF - Appendix A).

It was pretty late by the time I discovered all of this, so I have yet to read it, although I did skim over most of the dissertation.

Also of interest is a recently published book - The Wilder Life. I haven't a copy yet, but I'm looking forward to reading it as well.

post by: deborah at: 15:14 | 19 comments

Dammit, forgot the more inside. Hope me please?

posted by deborah 05 May | 15:15

I saw an author event for The Wilder Life today. It sounded kind of Julie and Julia-ish, but then again I do live in Wisconsin :) Probably worth checking out.

Apparently LIW is HUGE in Japan, or at least was a few years ago. Visitors always want to visit her sites, and some friends of ours gave their daughter the American name of Laura. (Which was, I am sorry to say, not easy for them to pronounce.)

posted by Madamina 05 May | 15:26

You rock. Thanks deborah!

posted by bearwife 05 May | 15:32

If you have a sense of humor about Little House-iana, do not miss HalfPint Ingalls on Twitter.

posted by Elsa 05 May | 15:39

I started reading The Wilder Life last night! 1 chapter down, I love it. She and I have a very similar love for Laura.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 05 May | 15:39

I didn't realize for a long time that the writer of The Wilder Life book is also the writer of the HalfPintIngalls twitter.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 05 May | 15:44

Yes! She's also the author of The Amazing Mackerel Plan and the compiler of these Weight Watcher recipe cards, which made me laugh until I wheezed and wept.

posted by Elsa 05 May | 15:56

Oh my God, she wrote the Weight Watcher recipe cards commentary? I must read her book now. I laughed until I had tears streaming down my face the first time I read them, and they still crack me up whenever I look at them again. They also make me lose all desire to eat any food whatsoever.

posted by Orange Swan 05 May | 15:59

I just requested I'm Not the New Me from the library, and I'm happy to report that there's a waiting list for The Wilder Life. Good for McClure! I'll read it when the requests quiet down a bit.

I really need to re-read all the LIW books, which are not only fascinating to read but great for foodways historians.

posted by Elsa 05 May | 16:16

Link doesn't seem to be working.

posted by Melismata 05 May | 18:08

My understanding of those books was forever changed after reading Ghost in the Little House: A Life of Rose Wilder Lane, about Laura's fairly eccentric daughter, who really shaped the books into what they are, ideologies and all.

posted by Miko 05 May | 18:10

I've got it now. You have to go to the first link to get the pdf.

posted by Melismata 05 May | 18:10

I pulled the PDF pages of just the Pioneer Girl story (about 100 pages or so) into one PDF document; I can forward it via e-mail to anyone who wants it.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 05 May | 18:35

Totally, Miko. They reprinted recently a collection of Rose's magazine articles--hope they do more of them.

posted by Melismata 05 May | 19:12

There's a waiting list at my library for The Wilder Life, too--a long enough one that we're going to buy more copies.

posted by box 06 May | 06:31

I read Pioneer Girl today at work (through a random set of occurrences, I was away from my desk, proctoring an exam and doing nothing otherwise). It was fascinating! I particularly loved the insight into the family's poverty and constant need to bring other people into their homes to help make ends meet. When Laura says at the end, "among the other causes for happiness was the thought that I would not again have to go and live with strangers in their houses. I had a house and a home of my own," it was really powerful!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 06 May | 22:35

Thanks to whomever "more insided" this post!

Oddly enough, I'm still reading it although I've gotten to the Long Winter section. I don't want to spoil it for anyone else still reading, but a couple things not included in the published novels have surprised me. I can't wait to finish it.

And I'm so glad it's such a popular subject with you all. I love sharing my obsessions!

posted by deborah 07 May | 01:10

Rose was my grandmother's part-time neighbor in South Texas. Apparently she was eccentric, even for the late 60s. She was home infrequently and my cousins were allowed to play in the back yard as long as they didn't mess up anything. My grandmother's back yard had a pet bunny, a swing set for the grandkids, and fruit trees. Rose's yard was an exotically landscaped Moroccan garden.

posted by toastedbeagle 10 May | 14:53

Oh wow. That's so cool, toastedbeagle!

posted by deborah 10 May | 15:39

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