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Before the Prairie Books: The Writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder 1917 - 1918: the War Years
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the American classic Little House on the Prairie, from which the award winning television show was taken. Her first book was published in 1932 but long before that Laura wrote magazine articles on small farming and country living. She and her husband Almanzo lived on a small farm near Mansfield, Missouri from 1894 until their deaths, his in 1949 and hers in 1957, and it is from that happy life that the spirit of her books sprang. Laura’s articles are full of merriment, country lore, and old fashioned wisdom. They are the seed stock of the Little House® books.
This book includes Laura's articles written during the war years of 1917-1918. Conditions and events surrounding World War I, the Great War, caused her to write about the changing roles of women, duty and personal responsibility, self-sacrifice and honor, and the dreaded influenza epidemic.
"The self-government of our republic, of which we are so proud, is nothing after all but the governing of self and the whole cannot be greater than the sum of the parts."
"As a nation we stand for unselfishness, courage and self-sacrifice in defense of the right. Our soldiers are fighting on the battlefields that these principles shall be recognized as governing the nations of the world. And our hearts are the battlefields where these same qualities strive to become rulers of our actions."
"To be sure, everyone knows that a woman’s most important work is still her children, but other interest enter so largely into her life today that she is not classified solely on the one count. Altho still a vital part of a woman’s life, marriage is not now the end and aim of her existence. There are in the world, many, many other ambitions and occupations to take up her attention."
"A 'government of the people, for the people and by the people,' can be no better nor greater than the people."
These nearly 40,000 words of Laura’s writings are accompanied by setting and notes by Dan L. White, a fellow Ozarker who has lived for the last quarter century in Laura’s neck of the woods and has authored several books on Laura, including Laura’s Love Story, Laura Ingalls’ Friends Remember Her and Devotionals with Laura.
This book includes Laura's articles written during the war years of 1917-1918. Conditions and events surrounding World War I, the Great War, caused her to write about the changing roles of women, duty and personal responsibility, self-sacrifice and honor, and the dreaded influenza epidemic.
"The self-government of our republic, of which we are so proud, is nothing after all but the governing of self and the whole cannot be greater than the sum of the parts."
"As a nation we stand for unselfishness, courage and self-sacrifice in defense of the right. Our soldiers are fighting on the battlefields that these principles shall be recognized as governing the nations of the world. And our hearts are the battlefields where these same qualities strive to become rulers of our actions."
"To be sure, everyone knows that a woman’s most important work is still her children, but other interest enter so largely into her life today that she is not classified solely on the one count. Altho still a vital part of a woman’s life, marriage is not now the end and aim of her existence. There are in the world, many, many other ambitions and occupations to take up her attention."
"A 'government of the people, for the people and by the people,' can be no better nor greater than the people."
These nearly 40,000 words of Laura’s writings are accompanied by setting and notes by Dan L. White, a fellow Ozarker who has lived for the last quarter century in Laura’s neck of the woods and has authored several books on Laura, including Laura’s Love Story, Laura Ingalls’ Friends Remember Her and Devotionals with Laura.
- GenresFiction
185 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2010
About the author
Laura Ingalls Wilder
493 books5,665 followersLaura Ingalls Wilder was an American author, journalist, and educator whose "Little House" series transformed the arduous reality of the American frontier into a foundational pillar of children's literature. Born in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin to Charles and Caroline Ingalls, Laura’s childhood was a nomadic journey through the heart of a shifting nation. Her family moved across Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakota Territory—often staying just ahead of legal evictions or chasing the promise of fertile soil. These years were marked by extreme hardship, including the "Hard Winter" of 1880–81 in De Smet, South Dakota, where the family survived near-starvation. Despite the struggle, these experiences provided the raw material for her eight-volume record of pioneer life, a series that has since been translated into over forty languages.
Before becoming a world-renowned novelist in her sixties, Wilder lived several distinct lives. At fifteen, she became a teacher in one-room prairie schools, a job she took primarily to support her family financially. In 1885, she married Almanzo Wilder, beginning a partnership that endured fire, paralysis from diphtheria, and the heartbreaking loss of an infant son. These trials eventually led them to Mansfield, Missouri, where they established Rocky Ridge Farm. It was here that Laura developed her voice as a professional writer, serving as a columnist and editor for the Missouri Ruralist for over a decade.
The Great Depression and the 1929 stock market crash wiped out the Wilders’ savings, providing the ultimate catalyst for Laura to pen her memoirs. Her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane—a successful author in her own right—encouraged her mother to adapt her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, into a format more suitable for children. This resulted in a complex and often rocky literary collaboration; while Lane provided the professional "style," Wilder provided the "substance" and narrative heart. The first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932 when Laura was sixty-five.
Wilder’s legacy is a blend of immense literary success and modern historical scrutiny. While her books remain staples in classrooms for their vivid descriptions of 19th-century domestic life, her portrayals of Native Americans and African Americans have led to recent reevaluations. In 2018, the American Library Association renamed the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal" to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award" to reflect these evolving cultural sensitivities. Nonetheless, Wilder remains a monumental figure in American letters, a woman who successfully "saved the American soul" by documenting the grit, faith, and unyielding persistence of the pioneer spirit.
Before becoming a world-renowned novelist in her sixties, Wilder lived several distinct lives. At fifteen, she became a teacher in one-room prairie schools, a job she took primarily to support her family financially. In 1885, she married Almanzo Wilder, beginning a partnership that endured fire, paralysis from diphtheria, and the heartbreaking loss of an infant son. These trials eventually led them to Mansfield, Missouri, where they established Rocky Ridge Farm. It was here that Laura developed her voice as a professional writer, serving as a columnist and editor for the Missouri Ruralist for over a decade.
The Great Depression and the 1929 stock market crash wiped out the Wilders’ savings, providing the ultimate catalyst for Laura to pen her memoirs. Her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane—a successful author in her own right—encouraged her mother to adapt her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, into a format more suitable for children. This resulted in a complex and often rocky literary collaboration; while Lane provided the professional "style," Wilder provided the "substance" and narrative heart. The first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932 when Laura was sixty-five.
Wilder’s legacy is a blend of immense literary success and modern historical scrutiny. While her books remain staples in classrooms for their vivid descriptions of 19th-century domestic life, her portrayals of Native Americans and African Americans have led to recent reevaluations. In 2018, the American Library Association renamed the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal" to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award" to reflect these evolving cultural sensitivities. Nonetheless, Wilder remains a monumental figure in American letters, a woman who successfully "saved the American soul" by documenting the grit, faith, and unyielding persistence of the pioneer spirit.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 29, 2014
The collection of Laura's articles for The Missouri Ruralist continues in this second volume. She focuses a lot on integrity, endurance, and hard work. Life has changed a lot. In one article that particularly spoke to me she marveled at the fact that so many new time-saving technologies were in use, but people seemed to have less time than ever before. This, and many other articles about stalling and corruption in different levels of government, and America involved in world-wide assistance are topics that we often think are unique to us today, but through her writings we learn that they have always been issues.
I very much enjoy her writings, and I like the background that Dan L. White is able to provide; insight into how her attitudes are reflected in her writing. However, toward the end of the book, White begins projecting his own views and opinions into his introductions that add nothing to the reader's experience of Laura's early work. He and I would not be friends.
I very much enjoy her writings, and I like the background that Dan L. White is able to provide; insight into how her attitudes are reflected in her writing. However, toward the end of the book, White begins projecting his own views and opinions into his introductions that add nothing to the reader's experience of Laura's early work. He and I would not be friends.
Displaying 1 of 1 review