LAURA INGALLS WILDER

At 65, Wilder began writing down childhood memories ``too good to be lost.'' Here, Anderson (Laura Ingalls Wilder Country, 1990) recounts the dramatic homesteading days plus Wilder's contented later years in the Ozarks. Numerous quotes and anecdotes describe natural disasters, myriad moves, and her close family life, as well as her love of the prairie. Though Almanzo's health and successive tragedies forced them to seek a more temperate climate, the two established a thriving farm, where Laura became an expert poultrywoman and wrote for The Missouri Ruralist. Anderson also details Laura's close rapport with daughter Rose, an established journalist and author who greatly influenced her mother's career, and chronicles the extraordinary success of the ``Little House'' books. His informative account, though, is excessively detailed at times and lacks the verve of Patricia Reilly Giff's briefer biography (1987). It would also benefit from sources and a chronology. Still, a worthy contribution for Wilder fans. Index; maps and photos. (Biography. 9-14)