her books, such as her most popular work Ester Ried, were based on personal experiences; others, such as the Chautauqua Girls series, were motivated by her interest in the Chautauqua movement. She and her niece, Grace Livingston Hill, even make a brief appearance in the final chapter of the series' last book, Four Mothers at Chatauqua. Alden's books were enormously popular during the late 19th century. In 1900, sales were estimated at 100,000 copies annually. Personal life Alden was a constant sufferer from headache, which never left her and was often very severe, but she refused to call herself an "invalid". Her physician limited her to three hours of literary work each day. After the deaths of her husband and son in 1924, Alden moved to Palo Alto, California, to live with her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. She continued writing until shortly before her death on August 5, 1930; the unfinished autobiography she left, Memories of Yesterday, was completed and edited by her niece, Grace Livingston Hill. In the 1990s, edited and abridged editions of some Alden's works appeared in two series issued by Christian publishers, The Pansy Collection, published by Creation Books, and the Grace Livingston Hill Library, published by Living Books. Selected works Ester Ried series Ester Ried: Asleep and Awake (1870) Julia Ried: Listening and Led (1872) The King's Daughter (1873) Wise and Otherwise (1873) Ester Ried Yet Speaking (1883) Ester Ried's Namesake (1906) Chautauqua Girls series Four Girls at Chautauqua (1876) The Chautauqua Girls at Home (1877) Ruth Erskine's Crosses (1879) Judge Burnham's Daughters (1888) Workers Together, or, An Endless Chain Ruth Erskine's Son (1907) Four Mothers at Chautauqua (1913) Paired books Chrissy's Endeavor, followed by Her Associate Members Household Puzzles, followed by The Randolphs Aunt Hannah and Martha and John, followed by John Remington, Martyr Others Three People (1871) From Different Standpoints (1878) Links in Rebecca's Life (1878) The Hall in the Grove (1882) Eighty-Seven (1887) Pansy's Sunday Book: For afternoon readers, gems of literature and art, with numerous illustrations (Boston: Lothrop Publishing Co., 1896), illustrated M. L. Kirk, Childe Hassam, L. J. Bridgman, Kemble, E. Pollak Divers Women Interrupted, also published as Out in the World Little Fishers and Their Nets Mag & Margaret The Man of the House Rueben's Hindrances Spun from Fact Tip Lewis and His Lamp Memories of Yesterday References Attribution Bibliography External links Isabella Macdonald Alden home page 1841 births 1930