Katharine Lee Bates (1859–1929)
Author of America the Beautiful
About the Author
Image credit: Photographic portrait of Katharine Lee Bates, author of "America the Beautiful". Image believed to be in Public Domain. By RL - Find a Grave [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5649414
Works by Katharine Lee Bates
The Sleeping Beauty 1 copy
Cinderella 1 copy
In Sunny Spain 1 copy
America My Country 1 copy
Norse stories 1 copy
Tennyson's The Princess 1 copy
As You Like It 1 copy
Associated Works
Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the 17th Century to the Present (1994) — Contributor — 447 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1859-08-12
- Date of death
- 1929-03-28
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA
- Place of death
- Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
- Places of residence
- Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
- Education
- Wellesley College
- Occupations
- poet
teacher
lyricist
travel writer
children's book author - Organizations
- Wellesley College
- Short biography
- Katharine Lee Bates was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts, the daughter of a minister and a schoolteacher. She attended Wellesley College, where she studied English and Greek, explored her interest in poetry, and published one of her poems in The Atlantic Monthly. After graduating in 1880, she spent several years working as a teacher. She then returned to Wellesley College and joined the faculty as an English instructor. She became a well-known scholar of English literature, especially the works of William Shakespeare, and authored several books, including The English Religious Drama (1893). She also wrote about her European travels in such works as Spanish Highways and Byways (1900) and From Gretna Green to Land's End: A Literary Journey in England (1907). She published a few children's books, including little Robin Stay-Behind (1923). She served as the head of Wellesley's Department of English for many years. In 1893, her now-famous poem, "America the Beautiful," was published for the first time in The Congregationalist. After some revisions, it was included in her verse collection America the Beautiful and Other Poems in 1911. After further revisions, it became the lyrics to the patriotic ballad "America the Beautiful."
Members
Reviews
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
America the Beautiful takes us through famous quotes said by past presidents. These quotes stand as a lesson for the people of our country. Also, on every spread, there is a line of the song "American the Beautiful".
This is a beautifully illustrated and written book. It shows many cultures and races coming together in America as one. Each page is filled with different and unique illustrations, which I think represents the uniqueness of each individual represented on the different pages. I like how there are different ways you could read this book. One way is to go through each page only saying the lyrics to the song, "America, The Beautiful." Another way is once you have read the lyrics, you can start from the beginning of the book and only read the quotes that are on each page. The last way you could read it is by alternating on each page reading the lyrics or the song. I think another important aspect of this book are the symbols presented on each page. In the back of the book, it lists the national landmarks and symbols and their significance. I would definitely use this book in a social studies class for grades 1st-2nd.… (more)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 40
- Also by
- 15
- Members
- 2,109
- Popularity
- #12,204
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 21
- ISBNs
- 59
- Favorited
- 1
"Santa, must I tease in vain, Dear? Let me go and hold the reindeer,
While you clamber down the chimneys. Don't look savage as a Turk!
Why should you have all the glory of the joyous Christmas story,
And poor little Goody Santa Claus have nothing but the work?
It would be so very cozy, you and I, all round and rosy,
Looking like two loving snowballs in our fuzzy Arctic furs,
Tucked in warm and snug together, whisking through the winter weather
Where the tinkle of the sleigh-bells is the only sound that stirs."
Originally published by the Boston-based D. Lothrop Company in 1889, in an illustrated paperback pamphlet, complete with ribbon-binding, Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride was subsequently included in Katherine Lee Bates' 1890 collection, Sunshine and Other Verses for Children, and also in her 1916 Fairy Gold: Poems. Readers interested in the poem itself, can easily find it in these volumes, as well as on multiple sites online. The original published edition of the poem alone, together with the accompanying illustrations, is more difficult to track down, and doesn't appear to have been digitized on any of the major sites (Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, Google Books, etc). That being said, I did manage to track down scans of the original edition, on the poem's page on the Hymns and Carols of Christmas website, where it can be downloaded in ZIP format.
Having managed to obtain a copy in this way, I am happy to report that I found this publication charming, enjoying both the poem and the accompanying engraving-style artwork. Author Katherine Lee Bates, best known as the poet who penned America the Beautiful, made into a beloved national song here in the states, creates a feisty Mrs Claus in her Goody Santa Claus, one who is both affectionate and persuasive, and more than willing to press her case. Although not the original depiction of Santa Claus's wife, this poem does seem to have cemented her role as a partner to that holiday gift giver, and a major support to his mission. The poem here reads well, and is just full of fun. I'd love to see it republished, either as a facsimile of the original, or in picture book form with newly commissioned artwork (maybe both). Recommended to anyone interested in the Santa Claus story in general, and in Mrs. Claus in particular. For my part, I now intend to track down some more of Bates' poetry for children, particularly her Christmas poems.… (more)