Anne of Green Gables is about finding love in an unexpected place, about the triumph of hope, and the transformative power of the human spirit. Publishers may not have wanted Anne, but readers needed her. Her story has never been out of print, and she continues to make “best,” “classic,” and “favourite” lists.
Bonnie J. Tulloch, “Anne of Green Gables: Literary Classic“
I first read Anne of Green Gables in middle school and was instantly entranced by the characters and world. I fell in love with Anne’s world and the words Lucy Maud Montgomery put on the page leading me to the several following books about Anne then on to Montgomery’s other books. I also read/watched others’ adaptations of Montgomery’s work, most notably the Netflix series Anne with an E, each inviting me to think more deeply about the world of Avonlea.
Creating Anne
It’s suggested that to be a good writer, to write something worthwhile, one should write about what they know. Imagination can run wild, but there should always be some bases from reality. This is certainly a tenet that Lucy Maud Montgomery subscribed to. Each of her novels is a piece of her, forever memorialized in ink and paper. Each journal entry is a cathartic release and view into her soul.
Adriana Pacheco, “The Writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery“
As Elizabeth R. Epperly writes in “Montgomery’s Writing and Revising,” Montgomery wrote with pen and ink which was a crucial part of her process. Epperly also writes about how Montgomery took any chance she could to write between chores, though her favorite place to write was in the privacy of her own bedroom. The details of Montgomery’s self-editing process are explained in depth by Epperly as involving a system of utilizing a notation system running through the alphabet and then adding a number afterward for subsequent times through the alphabet to note where additions to her text would be included.
I feel Montgomery’s prose and writing style go hand and hand. She romanticized the world around Anne and I have often found myself romanticizing the idea of writing with pen and paper to actually feel the words on the page. I don’t know if Montgomery romanticized the way she wrote, but looking back at it I do.
Publishing Anne
Montgomery’s path to publication was not a simple one. In an article explaining the novel’s literary history, Bonnie J. Tulloch explains that after several publishers rejected Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery put the manuscript away in a hatbox. The same article states that after some time, Montgomery reread her manuscript and wrote in her journal that “somehow, I found it rather interesting. Why shouldn’t other people find it so?”
In 1908, Anne of Green Gables was published by L.C. Page & Company who was known for publishing “conservative juvenile fiction” (Devereux, 122). The publisher was owned and operated by Louis Coues Page who had acquired a different publisher just to rename it. According to Cecily Devereux, Montgomery, despite knowing it was a bad deal, took Page’s offer of ten percent of sales on Anne of Green Gables. Part of the deal was also that Montgomery give Page all of her books for the next five years under the same conditions (Devereux, 123). From Montgomery’s own records, there were 315,368 copies sold in the first year, earning her $15,961.90 (Devereux, 123).
Over the course of a decade, Montgomery made about $25,000 from her first seven novels published with Page. Meanwhile, her publisher was able to sell the silent film rights for about $40,000 (Devereux, 124).
I wonder if Page made similar profits from other authors he worked with. I haven’t been able to find much about the publisher beyond a Wikipedia article about Page, but I intend to keep looking. I also have not been able to find any information about how Page ran his press and what resources he had access to or what special skills he brought to the process.
Marketing Anne
When I wrote of the book succeeding or not succeeding, I had in mind only a very moderate success indeed, compared to that which it did attain. I never dreamed that it would appeal to young and old. I thought girls in their teens might like to read it, that was the only audience I hoped to reach. But men and women who are grandparents have written to tell me how they loved Anne, and boys at college have done the same.
Lucy Maud Montgomery, in her autobiography, The Alpine Path
In an article dissecting Montgomery’s journals, a quote from a letter is pulled of Montgomery complaining about having to write more books about Anne. Montgomery compares writing the third Anne book to putting on an old dress that doesn’t fit right anymore. She claimed to only be writing the book for her publisher and fans. It’s weird to know how hard of a time Montgomery had writing books I loved. I can see how this knowledge might easily taint the reading of Montgomery’s later works.
The various covers of Anne of Green Gables shows me how broadly the story is enjoyed. I pulled a random sample of covers that represent different editions of the book. There are so many elements of the book that can be pulled into the cover. I would love to know more about what marketers think about in terms of cover design for what audience they want to draw towards the book. I wonder what the differences are when considering international versions as well, a few of which are pictured below.
As organized in a list by the various writers from The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript, Montgomery’s book has been published and loved all across the world. Beyond the original novels, I have also found a list of every adaptation of Anne of Green Gables there’s ever been. Anne has come to life in films, radio/audio dramas, tv series, stage productions, graphic novels, manga, spinoff novels, and web series.
Through variations of Anne’s story, many people are still putting deep thought into the world of Avonlea. In an interview hosted by the author of an Anne of Green Gables adaptation, Sarah McCoy points out how Anne can still connect with modern readers. With its themes of overcoming adversity and fearless female friendship, it makes sense to both McCoy and I how Montgomery’s writing is still relevant. McCoy, appreciates the world Montgomery created around Anne and is glad she got to speculate about the loose thread of Marilla’s youth through her own novel.
Works Cited
Atlas, Nava. “L.M. Montgomery on Her Writing Life.” Literary Ladies Guide, 04 Jan, 2019. Accessed 22 Feb, 2025. https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/literary-musings/l-m-montgomery-on-her-writing-life/.
“Covering the World: What does Anne mean to readers the world over?” The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025. https://annemanuscript.ca/stories/covering-the-world/.
Devereux, Cecily. “‘Not a “Usual” Property’: A Hundred Years of Protecting Anne of Green Gables.” Law, Culture & the Humanities, vol. 7, no. 1, Feb. 2011, pp. 121–41. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1177/1743872109355557.
Epperly, Elizabeth R. “Montgomery’s Writing and Revising.” The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025. https://annemanuscript.ca/stories/montgomerys-writing-and-revising/.
“List of Anne of Green Gables series adaptations.” Fandom. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025. https://anneofgreengables.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Anne_of_Green_Gables_series_adaptations.
“Louis Coues Page.” Wikipedia. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Coues_Page.
McCoy, Sarah. “Why ‘Anne of Green Gables’ and ‘Little Women’ Still Inspire Us Today.” Interviewed Anne Boyd Rioux. Electric Lit. 19 Oct, 2018. https://electricliterature.com/why-anne-of-green-gables-and-little-women-still-inspire-us-today/.
Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables. 01 Jan, 1908. L.C. Page & Company.
Montgomery, L.M. The Alpine Path: The Story of My Career. 01 Jan, 1917.
Pachecho, Adriana. “The Writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery.” Anne of Green Gables. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025. https://www.anneofgreengables.com/blog-posts/the-writings-of-lucy-maud-montgomery.
Tulloch, Bonnie J. “Anne of Green Gables: Literary Classic.” The Anne of Green Gables Manuscript. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025. https://annemanuscript.ca/stories/anne-of-green-gables-literary-classic/.
Featured Image
Anne with an E press image. Netflix. All rights reserved.
