Kirkus Reviews
Anne certainly merits the comprehensive, scholarly study demonstrated in the annotated margins, footnotes, critical essays, asides, and appendices that accompany the original text of Anne of Green Gables. Between these covers lies an entire academic course, covering the kinds of biographical, geographical, literary, and mythological allusions that a good professor would explicate—e.g., that one of Anne's compositions may have been inspired by ideas or phrases in the works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning or George Eliot—but also including colloquial terms, foods, fabrics, plants, expressions, songs, and poetry of Anne's time, and information about Montgomery as well. There's plenty here for scholars and fans; this edition should not be relegated to the reference shelves. (b&w photos and reproductions) (Fiction. 11+)"
School Library Journal
YA--This book opens with a chronology and a lengthy introduction to Lucy Maud Montgomery's life and works. Annotations accompany the text of the novel explaining references to people, places, literary works, quotations, events, flora, fauna, etc. within the narrative. The volume is filled with illustrations from different editions of Anne and photos of Montgomery, her handwritten manuscript, her childhood home, her school, her parents and family, Prince Edward Island, plants, pictures of the times, and more. One section explains the variants among different editions of the work. The appendix includes the geography of the island and Cavendish, the author's childhood home upon which she based Avonlea. Also included are scholarly essays on the history of the Celtic settlers on Prince Edward Island, orphanages and children, education, gardens and plants, home life, food preparation and cookery (including contemporary recipes), music and elocution, and literary allusion and quotations in Anne of Green Gables. This well-researched and readable resource will find a wide audience among Montgomery's many fans.--John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA