Image via Unsplash.com- Frantzou Fleurine

The Fear That Stopped Little House On The Prairie’s Laura Ingalls Wilder From Writing More Books

The famous American author may have written more if not for being turned off by something that made her put down her pen

Andrew Martin
4 min readFeb 5, 2023

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Laura Ingalls Wilder shot to national prominence as an author after a series of popular books based on her remarkable life were published starting when she was 65. In subsequent years, millions of copies were sold, and a beloved adapted television series had a celebrated run of a decade, making her into an American icon. Although she came to book writing later in life, one thing held her back from producing more than the nine volumes in her portfolio — income taxes.

Born in 1867, Laura Ingalls had a lively childhood due to the transitory nature of her family. They moved frequently, pursuing homesteading, job/farming and new territory opportunities. Along the way, the young girl had a wide variety of experiences that were beyond the norm for someone of that time.

At the age of 18, Laura married Almanzo Wilder; a union that lasted an amazing 64 years. The couple usually farmed as their primary means of living, but she also worked alternately as a school teacher, and later as a writer for various publications.

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Andrew Martin

Dabbler in history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .