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Recommended Books and Films

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Emily Dickinson

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Books

The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson (Barnes and Noble Classic Series)

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Poems Volume One, Poems Volume Two, Poems Volume Three by Emily Dickinson, available for free E-download on itunes and www.Gutenberg.org.

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A Life of Emily Dickinson by Richard Seawall- National Book Award winning biography

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Film

A Quiet Passion (2017. From imdb.com: A biopic on the life of Emily Dickinson, from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist. Starring Cynthia Nixon

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The Belle of Amherst- A one woman play on the life of Emily Dickinson. Available to view on You Tube. Starring Julie Harris.

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Louisa May Alcott

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Books

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. (available for free E-download on www.Gutenberg.org and itunes.)

Louisa May Alcott: The Best Works (Collection of Alcott’s work for free E-download on itunes)

Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson. Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for biography.

Louisa May Alcott: A Biography by Madeleine Stern

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Film

PBS American Masters Series- Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women. Available on you tube for $7.99. Possibly available through the PBS app on Apple TV. (Also available as a book by Harriet Reisena.)

Little Women (1994)

Little Women- A Masterpiece mini series airing on PBS May 13, 2018.

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Edna St. Vincent Millay

Books

The Selected Poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay

Renascence and Other Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay- Available for free E- download on itunes and www.Gutenberg.org.

The Lamp and the Bell: A Drama in Five Acts- by Edna St. Vincent Millay- Available for free E-download on www.Gutenberg.org.

Savage Beauty: A biography by Nancy Milford.  Fascinating and surprising.

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Film

Burning Candles: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay 2009, DVD, color, 93 min. (This documentary is difficult to find online, but it’s worth checking your local library. Distributed by Films Media Group, 132 West 31st St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 800-257-5126.

We have secured a copy and will view it together on the coach.
 

Edith Wharton

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Books

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton: The Best Works. Available for free E-download on itunes. Includes The Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth, and Ethan Frome.

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Biography- The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge. Clarion Books, 2010, 184 pages

This book is actually written for a young adult audience, but it is excellent, very comprehensive and is filled with great photos.

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For the more serious student the following biography is almost 600 pages:

Edith Wharton: A Biography by R.W.B. Lewis, Harper, 1975.  Pulitzer-Prize Winning biography that details the relation between her life and her works, assessing her literary dedication and accomplishment, and arguing her place as a write of the first importance.

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Film:

The Age of Innocence (1993) Starring Daniel Day Lewis

The House of Mirth (2000) Starring Gillian Anderson

Ethan Frome (1993) Starring Liam Neeson

Edith Wharton: The Sense of Harmony. Documentary available to view on you tube for $2.99

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Abigail Adams

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Books

The Letters of John and Abigail Adams by John Adams, edited by Abigail Adams

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Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams During the Revolution by Charles Francis Adams- Available for free E-download on itunes and www.Gutenberg.org.

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Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams. A biography by Lynne Withey

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Abigail Adams and Her Times by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards- Available for free E-download on www.Gutenberg.org.

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Film

John Adams (2008) Mini series adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning biography by David McCullough for HBO starring Laura Linney as Abigail Adams. NOTE from Trisha:  I purchased the set of DVDs and it is also on either Amazon or Netflix.  I think it is one of the best series I have ever seen.  Highly recommended.

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