Cornelia Meigs (1884–1973)
Author of Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women
About the Author
Series
Works by Cornelia Meigs
A Critical History of Children's Literature: A Survey of Children's Books in English. Prepared in Four Parts (1953) 46 copies
Young Americans: How History Looked to Them While It Was In the Making, A Collection of Stories (1936) 15 copies
Call of the Mountain 6 copies
Rain on the roof 4 copies
The Hill of Adventure 1 copy
Railroad West: A Novel 1 copy
An Old-Fashioned Girl 1 copy
Associated Works
Stories for girls — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Aldon, Adair
Meigs, Cornelia Lynde - Birthdate
- 1884-12-06
- Date of death
- 1973-09-10
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Rock Island, Illinois, USA
- Place of death
- Havre De Grace, Maryland, USA
- Places of residence
- Davenport, Iowa, USA
Keokuk, Iowa, USA
Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA
Brandon, Vermont, USA - Education
- Bryn Mawr College (AB|1908)
- Occupations
- professor
historian of children's literature
literary critic
writer of children's books - Awards and honors
- Newbery Medal 1934
Newbery Honor Medal 1922, 1928, 1933
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award - Short biography
- Cornelia Lynde Meigs was the fifth daughter of six children. She attended Bryn Mawr College and after graduating in 1908, she taught English at St. Katharine’s School in Davenport, Iowa, until 1913. While in Davenport, she wrote her first book, The Kingdom of the Winding Road, a collection of fairy tales. She frequently submitted short stories and plays for publication and wrote many of her books under the pseudonym Adair Aldon. In 1932, Meigs joined the faculty of the English department at Bryn Mawr, teaching English composition and creative writing until 1950 and eventually rising to the rank of full professor. She also served as a civilian employee of the U.S. War Department from 1942 to 1945.
Professor Meigs became an acknowledged authority on children’s literature, which was then becoming a new specialty. She wrote more than 40 books for young people, often with her students and nieces and nephews in mind. Her biography of Louisa May Alcott, Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women, received much critical acclaim. Prof. Meigs received numerous awards throughout her extensive writing career, including a Drama League prize in 1915 for her play The Steadfast Princess; three Newbery Honor Medals for her fiction; and the Newbery Medal for her Alcott biography.
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Statistics
- Works
- 45
- Also by
- 7
- Members
- 3,175
- Popularity
- #8,048
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 32
- ISBNs
- 73
- Languages
- 1
- Favorited
- 1