Miscellaneous Writings; 1883-1896

Boston, Massachusetts: Trustees under the Will of Mary Baker G. Eddy, 1924. Unknown printing. Stiff card binding. Good. Format is approximately 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches. xviii, 471, [5] pages. Illustration on front cover. Includes Preface and Introduction, as well as chapters on One Cause and Effect; Questions and Answers; Addresses; The Fruit of Spirit; Inklings Historic; Poems; Testimonials; and How to Understand Science and Health. Mary Baker Eddy (July 16, 1821 - December 3, 1910) was an American religious leader and author who founded The Church of Christ, Scientist, in New England in 1879. She also founded the Christian Science Monitor, a Pulitzer Prize winning secular newspaper, in 1908; and three religious magazines: the Christian Science Sentinel, The Christian Science Journal, and The Herald of Christian Science. She wrote numerous books and articles, the most notable of which was Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist consider Eddy the "discoverer" of Christian Science, and adherents are therefore known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science. The church is sometimes informally known as the Christian Science church. Eddy was named one of the "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time" in 2014 by Smithsonian Magazine, and her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures was ranked as one of the "75 Books By Women Whose Words Have Changed The World," by the Women's National Book Association. Why did Mary Baker Eddy compile Miscellaneous Writings? There are probably several reasons for this. First, before the advent of photocopying, reprinting was the easiest way to obtain copies of articles published in newspapers or magazines. (In fact, this is probably why some of the articles in Miscellaneous Writings were reprinted in the Journal.) Compiling these articles into one volume enabled readers to have them at their disposal easily. Also, the demands on Mrs. Eddy's time were extraordinary: she was teaching, writing and editing Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures as well as other, smaller works, preaching, and maintaining a large and active correspondence with her students and others. It's understandable she would not have time to write up responses to the many inquiries she received. She felt that compiling these writings into a single volume would hopefully answer many questions about Christian Science and its Founder.