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A ggie Zed. T H E REM A R KA BLE W A D . 2001. Pastel an d in k on paper. 26" x 20". Cou rtesy o f th e artist. For m ore in form ation on th is artist, see . It ’s A b o u t T i m e S o m e b o d y O u t H e r e W r o t e t h e T r u t h : B e t t y B a r d M a c D o n a l d a n d N o r t h / W e s t e r n R e g i o n a l i s m B e t h K r a i g I n t h e su m m er o f 1945, as W or ld W ar II d rew t o a clo se, a h u m o r o u s m em o ir ab o u t a teen age b rid e ap p e ar ed in b oo k sto r es, a first b o o k by a n o v ice w riter. T it le d T h e E g g an d I, t h e b o o k offer ed a qu irk y b le n d o f sar casm an d r h ap so d y in its d escr ip t io n s o f ru ral life o n W ash in gt o n St a t e ’s O ly m p ic P e n in su la in t h e 1920s. U n e xp e ct e d ly , read ers sn at ch e d it u p an d t h e b o o k so ar ed to th e top o f t h e b est -selle r lists (H a r t 2 6 8 ). In ju st o v er a year, its sales t o p p e d o n e m illio n h ar d - co v e r co p ies an d t r an s­ fo r m ed t h e b o o k ’s au th or, th ir ty -se ven -y ear- o ld Be t t y Bar d M acD o n ald , in to t h e m id - t w en t iet h cen t u r y ’s v e r sio n o f a p u b lic celebrity.^ A n d yet, alt h o u gh T h e E g g an d I r e m ain s an am azin g glo b al acco m p lish m e n t in p u b lish in g ter m s (st ill in p r in t w ith sales t o d at e o f o v e r th r ee m illio n co p ies in th ir ty -t w o d iffe r en t lan gu age s), e v e n as h e r su b seq u en t th r ee b o o k s for ad u lts (all m e m o ir s) so ld w ell an d w ere r eissu ed in th e 1980s t o at t r act n ew read ers, Be tt y Bar d M acD o n ald h as n o t r e ce iv e d m u ch a t t e n t io n in sch o lar ly r ealm s.2 T h e few w h o h a v e an aly zed h e r w ork h av e p r im ar ily d o n e so t h r o u gh th e filter o f ge n d e r an d h av e ce n...

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