Today in History: To Kill a Mockingbird Is Published

Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flied in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by night fall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum

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People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, noting to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.

--Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ch.1

Published by J.B. Lippincott and Co. on July 11th, 1960, a Pulitzer prize winner in 1961, and now a classic of modern American literature, To Kill a Mockingbird recounts coming-of-age in the deep South; racial injustice; and one man's heroic commitment to integrity and honor in defending a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime. Written by Harper Lee and set in Alabama in the early 1930s, the story is told through the eyes of Jean Louise Finch (aka Scout) who is six years old at the time. While not autobiographical, Lee drew upon her childhood experiences in Monroeville, Alabama; her studies in law at the University of Alabama; and her writing for literary magazines during college. To Kill a Mockingbird was an instant success, and one that left readers thirsting for more. In 1962 it was adapted to the acclaimed film which starred Gregory Peck, as Atticus (Scout's father); Mary Badham, as Scout; Phillip Alford, as Jem (Scout's brother); and Robert Duvall as "Boo" / Arthur Radley. The novel has also been adapted to stage and continues to be read in classrooms throughout the world.

The controversial prelude, Go Set a Watchman, was published posthumously by HarperCollins in 2015; initially thought to be a sequel for To Kill a Mockingbird, it received mixed reviews.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Proud, Hungry and: Everybody's Talking About "To Kill a Mockingbird." This Memorable Passage Shows Why. (1961, Aug 27). The Sun (1837-) 
• Deitch, J. (1961, Oct 03). Harper Lee: Novelist of South: Winsome. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Novelist Harper Lee Sees Dixie Racial Progress 'Not Fast Enough'. (1963, Mar 02). The Chicago Defender (National Edition) (1921-1967) 
• School Unit Bans 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. (1966, Jan 06). The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973) 
• Harper Lee, Read But Not Heard. (1990, Aug 17). The Washington Post (1974-)
• Basic Truths Ring Out in 'To Kill a Mockingbird': Recognizing That Themes of Racism and Injustice Are Still Relevant, Director Lee Clark Presents the Central Characters With Insight and Compassion. (1993, Aug 04). Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) 
• Montgomery, L. (1997, Sep 11). Harper Lee Still Prizes Privacy Over Publicity. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• O'Rourke, M. (2006, Jul 23). One-Hit Wonder: The Life Story of the Woman Who Wrote One of America's Most Beloved Novels. The Washington Post (1974-) 
• Battersby, E. (2010, Jul 03). If You're Going to Write Only One Book: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Is As Bright and Fresh As It Was When It Was Published, 50 Years Ago Next Week. As Its Author, Harper Lee. Knows, That's In Part Because People Don't Change. The Irish Times (1921-) 
• Crespino, J. (2015, Jul 16). Harper Lee's History. New York Times (1923-) 

Tips:

• Burling, Alexis, and R. Barton Palmer. Harper Lee : Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Essential Library, 2016.  e-book
• Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. [New York]: Harper, 2014.  e-book
• Lee, Harper. Go Set a Watchman : a Novel. First edition. New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2015.  Stacks ; PS3562.E353 2015
• Meyer, Michael J. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird New Essays. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2010. e-book
• Mohr, Amy, and Mark Olival-Bartley, eds. New Interpretations of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman.  Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019. e-book

Images:

• Mockingbird, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
• Poster Image: Book Cover for To Kill a Mockingbird, 50th Anniversary edition