Hitty begins her life as a lucky piece of mountain-ash wood carried by an old peddler. What follows is a children’s novel that truly deserves the Newberry Medal it received in 1930 for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” Safely ensconced in a New York antique store equipped with quill and paper, Hitty decides it is high time to begin setting her story down for posterity. The site includes this picture of a Daguerreotype actually mentioned in the novel as well as a variety of other interesting photos and well-researched facts:Īs the subtitle suggests, Hitty is already a centenarian at the start of Field’s fictionalized account of her adventures. is but one site dedicated to chronicling the life and history of this amazing doll.

If you haven’t guessed already, Hitty fans are numerous and loyal. I never read this version, actually sending it back upon realizing it was an adaptation, but other reviewers’ outrage at the changes suggest I was right to do so. The newer book came out, I believe, to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of Field’s original novel. There is another, newer, edition with updated text by Rosemary Wells and illustrations by Susan Jeffers. His Hitty is shown in the picture at left.Īfter buying the doll, and doing a bit of research, we found an edition of Field’s novel with the original 1929 text and illustrations. Several years ago my mother bought me a reproduction Hitty doll by Robert Raikes (big deal carver of dolls and bears though he no longer seems to be making Hitty dolls). I have been meaning to read Hitty: Her First Hundred Years (1929) by Rachel Field (illustrated wonderfully in what I assume is pen and ink by Dorothy P.

Rachel field hitty