The Years of Trial

The second entry in a three-volume biography, this book recounts the fifteen years of Mary Baker Eddy’s life following the publication of the first edition of her book Science and Health at the end of 1875 up to the significant 50th edition in 1891, the year before her religious movement was permanently reorganized as the Church of Christ, Scientist. Enjoying unprecedented access to archival materials, Peel explores these critical years in Eddy’s life.

Released in 2024, this new edition of The Years of Trial has a refreshed design improving readability and ease of use. All references have been updated and corroborated, providing insight into original sources and conveniently positioned as footnotes rather than endnotes. This edition includes a new foreword, chronological outline, maps, a section of archival image plates with thorough image credits, an index, and a complete bibliography.

First published between 1966 and 1977, Peel’s groundbreaking three-part biography, Mary Baker Eddy, has proven invaluable to Eddy biographers in the succeeding years. Undertaken with extensive access to Church archives, these carefully researched and documented books provide a strong lens into the life and times of Mary Baker Eddy and the early history of the Church of Christ, Scientist.