The Road to Yesterday

The Road to Yesterday by L.M. Montgomery was published in 1974. L.M. Montgomery had originally penned this book under the title The Blythes are Quoted, but the book was not published during her lifetime. After L.M. Montgomery's death, her manuscript was discovered by her son, Dr. Stuart MacDonald. The original manuscript for The Blythes are Quoted was divided into two parts taking place before and after World War I. Each part was composed of short stories interspersed with narratives of evenings in Anne and Gilbert Blythe's household with the Blythe family listening to Anne's poems.

In preparing The Road to Yesterday for publication, the narrative sections were removed along with all but one of the poems. The sequence of the short stories was reorganized. All of the stories included in The Road to Yesterday mention members of the Blythe family.

The Road to Yesterday includes the poem "Canadian Twilight" and 14 short stories, which are listed below:

"Canadian Twilight" (poem)
"An Afternoon with Mr. Jenkins"
"Retribution"
"The Twins Pretend"
"Fancy's Fool"
"A Dream Come True"
"Penelope Struts her Theories"
"The Reconciliation"
"The Cheated Child"
"Fool's Errand"
"The Pot and the Kettle"
"Here Comes the Bride"
"Brothers Beware"
"The Road to Yesterday"
"A Commonplace Woman"

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Created July 25, 2002. Last updated April 26, 2024.
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The Watchman and Other Poems

L.M. Montgomery published a volume of poetry titled The Watchman and Other Poems in 1916 by McClelland, Goodchild & Stewart. The book is named for the introductory poem, entitled “The Watchman.” This poem is followed by three thematic groups of poems: Songs of Sea, Songs of the Hills and Woods, and Miscellaneous.

All of the poems included in The Watchman and Other Poems had been previously published in magazines according to John Robert Sorfleet [1]. In her acknowledgements, L.M. Montgomery thanked the following publishers and magazines for granting permission to republish her poetry: The Youth's Companion, Forward, East and West, MacLean's Magazine, The Sunday School Times, Zion's Herald, The Outlook, Munsey's Magazine, The New Idea Woman's Magazine, Smart Set, The Ladies' World, The Canadian Magazine, St. Nicholas, The Congregationalist and Christian World, Everybody's Magazine, The Christian Endeavor World, The American Messenger, The Delineator, and Smith's Magazine.

L.M. Montgomery dedicated The Watchman and Other Poems to the soldiers who fought in WWI:

"To the memory of the gallant
Canadian soldiers who have laid
down their lives for their
country and their empire."

I took the photograph pictured above of a 1916 volume of The Watchman and Other Poems that I read from the University of Texas at Austin library.

Reference:
[1] Sorfleet, John. R. "L. M. Montgomery: Canadian Authoress." in L. M. Montgomery: An Assessment. Ed. John Robert Sorfleet. Guelph: Canadian Children's Press, 1976. pages 42–49.

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Created February 17, 2002. Re-posted online January 23, 2022. Last updated January 23, 2022.
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Bibliography of L.M. Montgomery

L.M. Montgomery was a Canadian author who wrote works that have been read by millions the world over. She was a prolific writer throughout her lifetime, penning over 20 books, including fictional novels, a volume of poetry, and short story collections. She also wrote a book of essays with collaborating authors. L.M. Montgomery achieved her greatest popular success in creating the character Anne Shirley of the Anne of Green Gables series.

L.M. Montgomery's bibliography of works published during her lifetime is listed below:

L.M. Montgomery's Publications	Date
Anne of Green Gables	1908
Anne of Avonlea	1909
Kilmeny of the Orchard	1910
The Story Girl	1911
Chronicles of Avonlea	1912
The Golden Road	1913
Anne of the Island	1915
The Watchman and Other Poems	1916
Anne's House of Dreams	1917
Rainbow Valley	1919
Further Chronicles of Avonlea	1920
Rilla of Ingleside	1921
Emily of New Moon	1923
Emily Climbs	1925
The Blue Castle	1926
Emily's Quest	1927
Magic for Marigold	1929
A Tangled Web	1931
Pat of Silver Bush	1933
Courageous Women    (Essays written with Marian Keith and Mabel Burns McKinley)	1934
Mistress Pat	1935
Anne of Windy Poplars	1936
Jane of Lantern Hill	1937
Anne of Ingleside	1939

Created September 1, 1999. Last updated April 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com