Mr. Whittier

by Elizabeth Janet Gray, Elizabeth Gray Vining

A biography of the nineteenth-century Quaker poet stressing his deep involvement in abolition, women's suffrage, and other human rights, with emphasis on the articles and poems he wrote in defense of his beliefs.

Hardcover

Published October 21, 1974

About the author

Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining was an American professional librarian and author who tutored Emperor Akihito of Japan in English while he was crown prince. She was also a noted author, whose children's book "Adam of the Road" won the Newbery Medal in 1943.

Reviews

[Kay Pelham · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Greenleaf Whittier was a Quaker and an Abolitionist who wrote both poetry and prose concerning the issue of slavery, as well as other more idyllic themes. I got more than I expected in this biography of a poet in the telling of activities in the North surrounding the abolitionist cause. If you ever thought that everyone in the North was against slavery, well, you'd better think again --- and read some contemporary accounts of the time. When reading these accounts, I thought it's a wonder that slavery ever ended in the US.

Ms. Vining's portrayal of Mr. Whittier impressed me with the idea that this was one of the most level-headed and reasonable of men of any kind, let alone the artistic kind.

This was a library loan that I will probably purchase for my personal library. The records of the resistance that abolitionists received in the North is something I'd like to keep at hand.