THE

　　STORYOFMYLIFE

　　ByHELENKELLER

　　WITH

　　HERLETTERS(1887-1901)

　　AND

　　ASUPPLEMENTARYACCOUNT

　　OFHEREDUCATION,INCLUDING

　　PASSAGESFROMTHEREPORTS

　　ANDLETTERSOFHERTEACHER,

　　ANNEMANSFIELDSULLIVAN

　　ByJOHNALBERTMACY

　　ILLUSTRATED

　　NEWYORK

　　DOUBLEDAY,PAGE&COMPANY

　　1905

　　Copyright,1904,by

　　TheCenturyCompany

　　Copyright,1902,1903,1905,by

　　HelenKeller

　　To

　　ALEXANDERGRAHAMBELL

　　WHOhastaughtthedeaftospeak

　　andenabledthelisteningeartohear

　　speechfromtheAtlantictotheRockies,

　　IDedicate

　　thisStoryofMyLife.

　　EDITOR'SPREFACE

　　THISbookisinthreeparts.Thefirsttwo,MissKeller'sstoryandtheextractsfromherletters,formacompleteaccountofherlifeasfarasshecangiveit.Muchofhereducationshecannotexplainherself,andsinceaknowledgeofthatisnecessarytoanunderstandingofwhatshehaswritten,itwasthoughtbesttosupplementherautobiographywiththereportsandlettersofherteacher,MissAnneMansfieldSullivan.TheadditionofafurtheraccountofMissKeller'spersonalityandachievementsmaybeunnecessary;yetitwillhelptomakeclearsomeofthetraitsofhercharacterandthenatureoftheworkwhichsheandherteacherhavedone.

　　ForthethirdpartofthebooktheEditorisresponsible,thoughallthatisvalidinitheowestoauthenticrecordsandtotheadviceofMissSullivan.

　　TheEditordesirestoexpresshisgratitudeandthegratitudeofMissKellerandMissSullivantoTheLadies'HomeJournalandtoitseditors,Mr.EdwardBokandMr.WilliamV.Alexander,whohavebeenunfailinglykindandhavegivenforuseinthisbookallthephotographswhichweretakenexpresslyfortheJournal;andtheEditorthanksMissKeller'smanyfriendswhohavelenthimherletterstothemandgivenhimvaluableinformation;especiallyMrs.LaurenceHutton,whosuppliedhimwithherlargecollectionofnotesandanecdotes;Mr.JohnHitz,SuperintendentoftheVoltaBureaufortheIncreaseandDiffusionofKnowledgerelatingtotheDeaf;andMrs.SophiaC.Hopkins,towhomMissSullivanwrotethoseilluminatingletters,theextractsfromwhichgiveabetterideaofhermethodswithherpupilthananythingheretoforepublished.

　　Messrs.Houghton,MifflinandCompanyhavecourteouslypermittedthereprintingofMissKeller'slettertoDr.Holmes,whichappearedin"OvertheTeacups,"andoneofWhittier'sletterstoMissKeller.Mr.S.T.Pickard,Whittier'sliteraryexecutor,kindlysenttheoriginalofanotherletterfromMissKellertoWhittier.

　　JOHNALBERTMACY

　　Cambridge,Massachusetts,February1,1903.