The Complete Little Stories for Bedtime by Thornton W. Burgess. Year 1. 1912.

 

In honor of Thornton W. Burgess's 150th birthday, I've uploaded a collection of his newspaper stories from February 5 to December 31, 1912, the first year of the "Little Stories for Bedtime" feature. I've also included illustrations, when available (they are of mixed quality) and some annotations, particularly with respect to places these stories were republished.

Many of these stories will be familiar to readers of his books but many will be brand new. Publishing them in their original order also means restoring the original continuity, which would effectively last until story 15,000 in 1960. The numbering and dating of these stories are best guesses. It is possible that there are missing stories, and I've included one such candidate (unnumbered) in the collection. 

At any rate, I will continue this publication project, aiming for one release a month, during the TWB 150th celebration. 

[UPDATE: I've uploaded an expanded and corrected edition of the 1912 book that includes three new appendices, a revised introduction, and an index. And spell-checked.]

The Collected Writings of Thornton W. Burgess, 1895-1911

In anticipation of the 150th anniversary of Thornton W. Burgess's birth coming later this January, I've put together this volume which assembles all the writing he did (that I could find) from the beginning of his career right up until he became a household name in 1912. Nearly 700 pages, uploaded to archive.org as a pdf. Here's the link: The Collected Writings of Thornton W. Burgess, 1895-1911. Consider this the first edition.

Dowhan's bibliography was my main finding guide but I was able to find a number of texts that he didn't list, both by stumbling upon them during digital searches and via a scrapbook in the TWB archives in the Massachusetts Historical Society. I've also included uncredited work in the American Agriculturist that is very likely to be the work of Burgess while he was "Young Folks' Editor" for that publication. 

Note that a handful of items included reveal an uncritical reproduction of ethnic and racial stereotypes. And Burgess's celebration of hunting and trapping (always within the framework of "true sportsmanship") may be shocking to readers who see him as an eternal "friend of the animals." See the Bob White poem from the Springfield Homestead below.

At any rate, I've brought back the blog. Big plans ahead as part of a larger TWB celebration in 2024!