The Jesse Stuart Foundation in Ashland, Kentucky is pleased to announce the publication of a new, never-before published junior book by Jesse Stuart.
Bluetick Pig is the story of a small runt pig, Bluetick, who is adopted and raised by young Sarah Powell. Bluetick and the Powell family share many fun adventures as Bluetick grows into a fine hog, but one with an uncertain future.
Between 1953 and 1971, Jesse Stuart published eight illustrated junior books that were oriented toward character education, and they remain popular today. Bluetick Pig becomes the ninth book in this series.
It has an interesting history.
In February 1937, Stuart published a short story, “The Blue Tick Pig,” in Esquire magazine. It was later included in his short story collections, A Jesse Stuart Harvest, Men of the Mountains, and Save Every Lamb.
In March 1977, Stuart attempted to rewrite this story as a junior book. He mailed a 125-page manuscript, “Bluetick,” to the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. The manuscript was much too long for a junior book, so it remained in the Jesse Stuart Foundation’s collection of unpublished Stuart manuscripts for more than three decades.
Recently, Dr. Cathy Roberts, an accomplished scholar and a board member of the Jesse Stuart Foundation, carefully revised and edited this manuscript for publication.
The visually exciting illustrations are by Tom Marsh.
The book is available online from jsfbooks.com and at the Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore at 4440 13th Street in Ashland.
Softback copes are $10; hardback copies are $20; add $4 for shipping and handling. Phone orders are welcomed at (606) 326-1667.
The Jesse Stuart Foundation was established in 1979 as a non-profit educational and publishing organization.
Its primary mission is preserving the legacy of Jesse Stuart and the Appalachian way of life by publishing books about Appalachia’s unique history and culture.
The Foundation has grown into the second largest publishing house in Kentucky and America’s major publisher of Appalachian books.
Jesse Stuart Foundation
