How do you convey how much you loved the things you loved as a child? For lots of people, that thing is the Little House books. For better or worse, the books have shaped children’s lives and influenced how we understand American history. But to truly understand what we love and why we love it, we have to know where it comes from. The books didn’t just spring fully formed from Laura’s mind. There were many people, places, and institutions responsible for getting them published. This week, host Glynnis MacNicol takes us from Mansfield, Missouri to the halls of New York publishing houses to explain how the Little House books got written in the first place and shaped into the books we continue to return to today.  

Go deeper: 
Visit Laura’s home in Mansfield
The Pioneer Girl Project
Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom

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