A Short Biography of L.M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery's Life

You will find within this guide information that I gathered as I researched the life and the books of L.M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery with the goal to selling a collection of her writings. Before I started investigating, I did not know that her writings were so extensive or that her life was so interesting. If you are a fan of either Montgomery or Anne of Green Gables, I know you will read on to see what I discovered...

Montgomery was born in Clifton, Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) in 1874. (The name of the town has since been changed to New London.) Her mother died shortly thereafter and her Grandparents who lived in Cavendish had the job of raising her.

Even as a child, she had a vivid imagination and used books and writing to fill her time. She published her first poem, 'On Cape LeForce', while attending the one-room school near her Grandparents' home. She received her teaching license from the Prince of Wales College and taught at three P.E.I. schools, eventually leaving to study English literature at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She began her 'career' as an author when she received payment for her writing during the time she spent at Dalhousie.

She returned to Cavendish after her Grandfather died to look after her Grandmother and lived there for most of the next 13 years.( Except when she worked as a proofreader for the Daily Echo in Halifax.) While in Cavendish, she wrote and attempted to have published many poems and stories. Eventually, she managed to earn a comfortable living from the earnings of her writing. That was an amazing accomplishment for a women of those times!

In 1905, she wrote and tried to have Anne of Green Gables published but it was, believe it or not, rejected! Luckily for us, in 1907 the Page Company of Boston, Massachusetts, agreed to publish it in 1908 and that, as we all know is where it all began! The book was an instant hit and launched her on a successful career.

Following Anne of Green Gables were a wonderful series of books. Montgomery eventually wrote 500 short stories and twenty novels.

Long after Montgomery's death in 1942, a television miniseries and several other television movies and programs in Canada and the U.S. were produced.

This year, 2008, actually marks the 100th Anniversary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables. A new book, Before Green Gables, tells of the time in Anne Shirley's life before she arrived on the Island as well as a new hardcover edition of the original Anne of Green Gables story have been published to help celebrate the anniversary.

There are many wonderful websites with more information about Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables. If you simply do a search for one or the other, you will find reams of interesting information.

If you are putting together a complete collection of Montgomery's works, you might find it helpful to print and save a list of her writings and so I have created one in a separate eBay guide for your convenience.

There are many wonderful Anne of Green Gables items available on eBay. I hope you will take the opportunity to check out those that I have listed in my store in my Prince Edward Island section by simply clicking here.

There are many movies and shows available as well as some wonderful CDs of the live musical performances throughout the years. Anne has been produced on P.E.I. for the past 25 years!

Prince Edward Island is indeed a magical place, as it is portrayed in the books, and if you are able to visit and you love Anne of Green Gables, it will be well worth your time! Seeing the live performance of Anne was a highlight of my family's visit to to the island and my children are both boys! If you want to see the live performance, I would recommend you buy your tickets in advance.

When we visited P.E.I. for a summer vacation a few years ago, I thought that would be enough. I never would have dreamed that I would be ready for another visit so quickly! However, all of this reading about Montgomery and her books (I even watched one of the Anne of Green Gables movies again) has made me, once again, long for the east coast of Canada!

I hope this information is helpful to you as well as interesting. I wish you good luck if you are building a collection of these wonderful books by L.M. Montgomery. You may find the list of books at my guide, Books and Writings of L.M. Montgomery, helpful. You can reach it easily by clicking here. There are many antique, vintage and new editions available of her books; some are easier and some are harder to find. Whichever ones you have, be sure to share them with the children in your life! -- Brenda

You Never Know What I Might Have In Store For You!  Click here to find out!

Good Luck Bidding!