Gladys Taber Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Stillmeadow Books

Publication Order of Gladys Taber Fiction Books

Gladys Taber was an American author who wrote books and columns inspired by her life and experiences. She was best known for her Stillmeadow works. Gladys died in 1980 at the age of eighty.

+Biography
Gladys Taber (born Gladys Bagg Taber) was born in 1899 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The author’s father was a mining engineer and his work took him all over the country.

The family was compelled to follow him to whichever states, towns and villages he was forced to relocate. Gladys had quite a few memories of her grandfather’s farm because she spent some time there.

Her resume eventually came to include a Bachelor’s Degree and an M.A, acquired from Wellesley and Lawrence College respectively.

The author got her last name from Frank Taber whom she married in 1921, with their union bringing Constance, their daughter into the world. Gladys had quite a ways to go on her academic path.

She would have happily pursued additional certifications but her marriage and entry into motherhood proved too disruptive. So Gladys settled down in Stillmeadow, committing her life to the task of raising her child and caring for her husband.

Though, when the opportunity arose, she did not hesitate to take up a creative writing teaching position at Columbia University. The job required the author to commute part of the time to New York.

Over the course of her life, Gladys Taber wrote several dozen books. Her works traversed some of America’s most tempestuous times. People speak fondly of ‘Diary of Domesticity’, ‘Butternut Wisdom’ and other similarly popular columns.

But it was for the Stillmeadow books that Gladys was best known. The stories she wrote provided readers a glimpse into the lives and times of the people who lived on her farm in Connecticut.

Stillmeadow was just as important a character in her works as any of the protagonists she created. And people flocked to publications like ‘Ladies Home Journal’ and Family Circle magazines because they couldn’t get enough of the vivid brush strokes with which she brought Stillmeadow to life.

Many of her works were straightforward musings about the simple life and seemingly ordinary activities like cooking and rearing livestock. Gladys drew readers in because her books felt like journals.

Gladys Taber’s writing style created a wise, optimistic and honest voice that provided a light in a broken world. She highlighted the simple beauty of life, often hidden beneath an ugly and corrupt façade.

Gladys saw a reality that most people did not live and her words brought order to a world overwhelmed with chaos. It didn’t matter how dark things got, how frightening news of wars and conflicts became; Gladys never wavered in her determination to chronicle simple life in simple settings.

She showed her readers that each new day could bring with it new miracles. She did more than most to stifle the cynicism that prevailed in her time. Her fans praised her for keeping their souls nourished in difficult times.

She emphasized the satisfaction that could come from pursuing the mundane tasks required to care for a home.

In the years that followed her rise to fame, Stillmeadow became a symbol for community and togetherness and hope. Her works persisted on the literary landscape through the decades because they contained so much practical advice about finding peace and satisfaction in life.

Many modern-day readers have admitted to first hearing about the woman that was Gladys Taber from their mothers and grandmothers who looked to her for guidance in running their homes and raising their children.

Gladys died in 1980 in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

+The Book of Stillmeadow
The Book of Stillmeadow takes readers to a time when life was difficult but no less sweet. It was a time when neighbors lived together and enjoyed a sense of community. Gladys uses this book to bring that seemingly alien setting with its friendly people and hopeful environment to life.

Stillmeadow is a real place, one whose road to fame began when Gladys Taber and a friend purchased a Sudbury, Connecticut farmhouse and turned it into a home within which they could live with their families.

Gladys’s life on the farm was a busy one. When she wasn’t doing chores, raising livestock and making certain that the farm was running in optimal condition, she was doing what she could to maintain the peace and comfort of a household that had several dogs and cats.

Each chapter in the Book of a Stillmeadow focuses on a particular month on the farm. Gladys Taber writes about ordinary life on the farm; all the living and loving and playing that took place, all the seasons they saw and the relationships between friends and neighbors that bloomed.

The book is designed to be warm and exhilarating, creating a sense of home in the way it explores normal people living normal lives.

The book isn’t all cheer. After all, it came out in the aftermath of the Second World War, so Gladys hints at a few elements of sadness and trauma. Some readers might find the book a little slow and repetitive in some places.

+My Own Cape Cod
Gladys Taber spent a lot of time immersing readers in the warmth of her Connecticut farm, Stillmeadow. This book changes tracks and invites readers to follow Gladys on a new journey, one that will lead them into her Cape Cod home.

Gladys describes the setting as a heavenly location with an amazing view of the landscape. But she isn’t as concerned about the physical beauty of the setting as she is about the people who live there.

She talks about how the community of Cape Cod, her friends and neighbors live a life of such intimate closeness that it might generate envy in others. Gladys talks about the natural wonder that draws people to Cape Cod, the bogs, frogs, and tides, the manner in which visitors to the location can occasionally change the dynamics of the locals.

Rather than looking at the months as she did with the Stillmeadow books, this particular title is organized in seasons. Gladys spends a lot of time making observations. The book is designed to appeal to people who loved Gladys Taber’s journal-styled Stillmeadow series.

2 Responses to “Gladys Taber”

1. diane l trudeau: 2 years ago

   Just bought her two oldest cookbooks-have almost all the Stillmeadow books-love her books-a simpler time

   Reply
2. Michelle Banary: 2 years ago

   I just recently purchased her book”Country Chronicle” at an antique shop. I couldn’t put the book down. I grew up on a farm in NY. I loved her descriptions of living in New England, it really brought a lot of memories. I am buying her other books, next is her Cape Code book. As that was and is my favorite vacation spot. I am now a Gladys Taber fan for sure.

   Reply