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Overview
Follow Laura Ingalls Wilder’s journey from rejected memoir to successful first novel. To get there she needed the unsung help of editor Marion Fiery and then Virginia Kirkus. In this Part 2, finish the story of how Wilder wrote and got the first of the Little House books published.
What You’ll Hear
| Time | Topic
| 00:00 | Cold‑open & Intro
| 01:30 | PioneerGirl origins and rejections
| 04:39 | Marion Fiery’s editorial revisions & Knopf contract
| 11:52 | Knopf children’s division shutters
| 16:00 | Virginia Kirkus reads the manuscript
| 18:00 | New title, illustrator Helen Sewell, book deal
| 19:45 | April 1932 publication and early library buzz
| 20:40 | Theme recap
| 23:30 | Fiery’s unsung legacy & closing thoughts
| 26:00 | Bibliography & sign‑off
Timestamps are approximate.
Takeaways
Books Mentioned:
People Discussed:
Laura Ingalls Wilder | Author of the Little House series | 00:40
Rose Wilder Lane | Novelist and journalist | 01:46
Marion Fiery | Children’s book editor (Knop | 04:30
Graham Lorimer | Fiction editor at The Saturday Evening Post | 04:06
George Bye | Literary agent | 11:40
Virginia Kirkus | Children’s editor at Harper & Brothers; founder of Kirkus Reviews | 16:07
Helen Sewell | Illustrator of the first edition of Little House in the Big Woods | 19:05
Garth Williams | Illustrator of the 1950s Little House reprint editions | 19:19
Pamela Smith Hill | Biographer of Laura Ingalls Wilder | 27:12
Caroline Fraser | Journalist and author of Prairie Fires | 27:35
Support the Show:
Follow I’ll Probably Delete This on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.
Also share the episode with anyone you think will like it.
Credits
Host / writer / editor: Will Jauquet
Cover art: Wili Joel Productions
© 2025 I’ll Probably Delete This. All rights reserved.
Overview
Follow Laura Ingalls Wilder’s journey from rejected memoir to successful first novel. To get there she needed the unsung help of editor Marion Fiery and then Virginia Kirkus. In this Part 2, finish the story of how Wilder wrote and got the first of the Little House books published.
What You’ll Hear
| Time | Topic
| 00:00 | Cold‑open & Intro
| 01:30 | PioneerGirl origins and rejections
| 04:39 | Marion Fiery’s editorial revisions & Knopf contract
| 11:52 | Knopf children’s division shutters
| 16:00 | Virginia Kirkus reads the manuscript
| 18:00 | New title, illustrator Helen Sewell, book deal
| 19:45 | April 1932 publication and early library buzz
| 20:40 | Theme recap
| 23:30 | Fiery’s unsung legacy & closing thoughts
| 26:00 | Bibliography & sign‑off
Timestamps are approximate.
Takeaways
Books Mentioned:
People Discussed:
Laura Ingalls Wilder | Author of the Little House series | 00:40
Rose Wilder Lane | Novelist and journalist | 01:46
Marion Fiery | Children’s book editor (Knop | 04:30
Graham Lorimer | Fiction editor at The Saturday Evening Post | 04:06
George Bye | Literary agent | 11:40
Virginia Kirkus | Children’s editor at Harper & Brothers; founder of Kirkus Reviews | 16:07
Helen Sewell | Illustrator of the first edition of Little House in the Big Woods | 19:05
Garth Williams | Illustrator of the 1950s Little House reprint editions | 19:19
Pamela Smith Hill | Biographer of Laura Ingalls Wilder | 27:12
Caroline Fraser | Journalist and author of Prairie Fires | 27:35
Support the Show:
Follow I’ll Probably Delete This on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.
Also share the episode with anyone you think will like it.
Credits
Host / writer / editor: Will Jauquet
Cover art: Wili Joel Productions
© 2025 I’ll Probably Delete This. All rights reserved.