Meet Me in St. Louis
Will be published approx. on 16. December 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-0-226-85394-9 (ISBN)
Description
Sally Benson's charming slice-of-life story is back in print for a new generation of readers.
Originally published as World War II raged overseas, Meet Me in St. Louis is Sally Benson's semi-autobiographical account of the intergenerational Smith family during the twelve months leading up to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. With warmth and tenderness, Benson chronicles the Smiths' lives as they navigate sibling rivalries, first loves, financial hardship, jealousy, and heartaches in a poignant ode to the bonds of family.
Benson's novel is infused with wit as she details the lighthearted, pleasant existence of the Smith family's five children-one rife with chaste crushes, victimless pranks, and other childhood escapades. Yet, Benson imparts the novel's episodic, squeaky-clean veneer with a dark comedic brilliance that transcends the ages and speaks, even today, to the universal experience of growing up.
Long out of print, this new edition of Benson's timeless work includes a foreword by bestselling author Benjamin Dreyer, who comments both on the book's origins and its afterlife in popular culture as the source material for Judy Garland's beloved musical of the same name. An effervescent midcentury novel waiting to be rediscovered, Meet Me in St. Louis is ready to meet its new generation of readers.
Originally published as World War II raged overseas, Meet Me in St. Louis is Sally Benson's semi-autobiographical account of the intergenerational Smith family during the twelve months leading up to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. With warmth and tenderness, Benson chronicles the Smiths' lives as they navigate sibling rivalries, first loves, financial hardship, jealousy, and heartaches in a poignant ode to the bonds of family.
Benson's novel is infused with wit as she details the lighthearted, pleasant existence of the Smith family's five children-one rife with chaste crushes, victimless pranks, and other childhood escapades. Yet, Benson imparts the novel's episodic, squeaky-clean veneer with a dark comedic brilliance that transcends the ages and speaks, even today, to the universal experience of growing up.
Long out of print, this new edition of Benson's timeless work includes a foreword by bestselling author Benjamin Dreyer, who comments both on the book's origins and its afterlife in popular culture as the source material for Judy Garland's beloved musical of the same name. An effervescent midcentury novel waiting to be rediscovered, Meet Me in St. Louis is ready to meet its new generation of readers.
Reviews / Votes
"If you've always wondered, like I have, about the long-out-of-print stories that my mother's movie Meet in St. Louis was based on, you can finally read them. And what a delight they are! Making the movie was one of my mother's favorite experiences, and the film remains one of our family's favorites. So if you want to read more about Esther and Agnes and Tootie and Rose, pick up this beautiful reissue and imagine my mother's delight when she first read these stories herself. Have yourselves a merry little read!" -- Lorna Luft | actress and singer "My husband-dancer, director, choreographer Gene Kelly-described Meet Me in St. Louis as his favorite movie musical. Having devoured the original Sally Benson series in The New Yorker, Gene would have cheered for this beautiful volume and the brilliant foreword written by fellow word lover Benjamin Dreyer. Since Gene is not here to do the cheering himself, I'll do it for him. Gladly." -- Patricia Ward Kelly | film historian and biographerMore details
Edition
First Edition, With a new foreword
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-85394-9 (9780226853949)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Sally Benson (1897-1972) was an American writer of fiction, screenplays, and theater. Between 1930 and 1941 she published nearly one hundred stories in the New Yorker, many of which were later released in collections such as Junior Miss and Meet Me in St. Louis, the latter of which was adapted into the 1944 musical film starring Judy Garland.