Bound beautifully in blue cloth with a matching dust jacket, the book printed on glossy art paper will be appreciated by all Montessori memorabilia collectors. The old photos of Montessori history offer a rare glimpse into another time and another world. Maria Montessori arrived in Chennai in 1939 and stayed in India through the war.

There are some familiar photos from the Centenary Anthology published by the Association Montessori Internationale. However, some rare photos of her arrival and the celebrations of her birthday, her first course in the Theosophical Society, children at work in Besant School during the 1940s, a photo of Koviloor Swami as a youth, the early students of her method, the dignitaries who honoured her, even a photo of the scribe Gundu Mani who wrote down all that she said during her lectures, make the book a valuable addition to the collector’s library. Captions are included but they do not always pick up the detail in the old photos.

An interesting reproduction shows the announcement for the first Montessori course conducted in the Theosophical Society in 1939. The various covers of the Kalakshetra Publications editions of the Montessori books form a collage that offers colourful relief.

The volume contains seven articles by Maria Montessori and two by Mario Montessori – one of them reproduced from the 1965 Reader’s Digest. Together the articles form a cohesive group of the Montessori philosophy and spans the ages of children from birth to adolescence. They trace Montessori’s growth of ideas and represent expansion of her work. A few relevant articles are included on the world of the unborn child. A special treat is the essay by Silvana Montanaro on the potential of the first years in a child’s life.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the book is the last section with precise colour reproductions of Montessori’s own hand painted drawings. Intended to be blueprints for the manufacture of Montessori materials, the precision and simplicity of the water colour illustrations will be admired by all students of her work. The diagrams form an important link in the evolution of what is now widely known and used as the Montessori materials.

The first section attempts to present the history of the Montessori movement and the connection with Chennai. There are interesting facts presented but they appear over and over again. It is hard to see a chronology. There are many proofing errors and a lack of consistency in formatting of text which makes it hard to read.

The index is a bit cryptic and it is not always clear who wrote the articles. The book has been published in time for the 26th International Montessori Congress to be held in Chennai next year.

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