Postcard from Canada

Ben Stahl's illustration "Beyond the Summer Field" for the book of Lucy Maud Montgomery "Anne of Green Gables"

"Beyond lay the sea, misty and purple, with it's haunting, unceasing murmur".


Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. It was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book. Montgomery found her inspiration for the book on an old piece of paper that she had written at a young age, describing a couple that were mistakenly sent an orphan girl instead of a boy, yet decided to keep her. Montgomery also drew upon her own childhood experiences in rural Prince Edward Island. Montgomery used a photograph of Evelyn Nesbit, clipped from an American magazine and pasted on the wall above her writing desk, as the model for Anne Shirley, the book's main character.

Since publication, Anne of Green Gables has sold more than 50 million books. In addition, this widely loved book is taught to students around the world.

Anne of Green Gables is a 1985 television movie based on the novel Anne of Green Gables by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The film was produced and directed by Kevin Sullivan for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It was released theatrically in Israel, Europe and Japan.

The film aired on CBC Television as a two-part miniseries on December 1, 1985. Both parts of the film were among the highest-rated programs of any genre ever to air on a Canadian television network. On February 17, 1986, the film aired on PBS in the United States.

Anne of Green Gables