Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little Town by John Miller

As Laura Ingalls Wilder realized they would, her widely loved stories of her prairie childhood have become much more than a nostalgic blend of myth, memories, and autobiography. Historically, John Miller reveals, they have much to tell us about the realities of day-to-day living and attitudes in the nineteenth century.

History and literature are closely intertwined, Miller contends, and in this book he illustrates how Wilder's novels enhance our understanding of history and how, simultaneously, a historical perspective framed Wilder's fiction. Wilder, he shows, interwove content and form to produce a sentimental and compelling, yet nuanced and believable, picture of family life on the agricultural frontier.

220 Pages

ISBN: 0700607137 

About the author: John E. Miller was a historian and author known for his extensive research and writing on various historical topics. He taught American history at South Dakota State University for nearly 30 years. Miller's work often focused on small-town life and historical figures, and he was known for his meticulous research and detailed storytelling. 

Image description: The cover illustration shows a black-and-white photograph of a town, with carriages and buildings, at the top of the cover. The subtitle is displayed on the photograph in blue letters. The rest of the cover has a light brown/tan background, with the title displayed in black letters, underlined in blue; the author's name is displayed t the bottom of the cover in white letters.