The Maxwells of Montreal, Vol. 1 - The Early Years

Beginning with their childhood years, this is the story of May Bolles and Sutherland Maxwell; their youth, their meeting and courtship in Paris; their marriage; their first pilgrimages; the birth of their daughter and the historic visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to their home in Montreal in 1912.

Early Years covers the years 1870–1922, beginning with the childhood years of May Bolles and Sutherland Maxwell; their youth, their meeting and courtship in Paris; their marriage and their first pilgrimages. It tells the story of the birth of their daughter and the historic visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to their home in Montreal just before World War I. It also describes the early development and training of young Mary, the family's activities during the war years, the reception of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, and the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which ended the Heroic Age of the Bahá'í Faith.

The book draws on over 1,600 personal letters between May, Sutherland and Mary Maxwell (Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum), together with about 1,400 letters which the three Maxwells exchanged with their relatives and some of the early Bahá'ís. It includes citations from the 195 Tablets, letters and cables from 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Greatest Holy Leaf to members of the family, which have never been transcribed before. It also contains extracts from Rúhíyyih Khánum's notebooks, the memoirs of her mother, sketches made by her father, and articles and photographs related to the period.