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The story of Helen Keller, who triumphed over deafness and blindness and became "a symbol of the indomitable human spirit," is now considered one of the "hundred most important books of the twentieth century" (New York Public Library). Yet the astonishing original version, first published in 1903, has been out of print for many years. In this, "the restored classic," Roger Shattuck, in collaboration with Dorothy Hermann, has reedited the book to reflect its original composition. Keller's remarkable transformation is presented in three successive accounts: Keller's own version; the letters of "teacher" Anne Sullivan, submerged in the earliest edition; and the valuable documentation by their assistant, John Macy. Including opening and closing commentary by Shattuck and notes by Hermann, this volume has already established itself as the definitive edition of a classic work.
About the author
Helen Keller (June 27, 1880-June 1, 1968). She was a U.S. writer and educator who was blind and deaf. Keller was deprived due to her sickness of sight and hearing at 19 months, and her speech improvement soon ended as well. After five years, she was instructed by Anne Sullivan (1866-1936), who educated her on the names of objects by squeezing the manual alphabets in order into her palm. At last, Keller figured out how to read and write in Braille. She wrote many books, including The Story of My Life (1902), Optimism (1903), The World I Live in (1908), Light in My Darkness and My Religion (1927), Helen Keller's Journal (1938), and The Open Door (1957). Her childhood was portrayed in William Gibson's play The Miracle Worker in 1959 (film, 1962).
