In the Near Loss of Everything
Dale Wayne Slusser

In the summer of 1887, George MacDonald’s son Ronald, newly engaged to artist Louise Blandy, sailed from England to America to teach school. The next summer he returned to England to marry Louise and bring her back to America. Soon afterward he secured a five-year position as headmaster of Ravenscroft High School in Asheville, North Carolina. On August 27, 1890, after less than a year in his new position, his wife died leaving him with an infant daughter. Ronald once described losing a beloved spouse as “the near loss of everything.” Ronald’s story is mentioned briefly in biographies of his father, but Asheville resident and MacDonald scholar, Dale Wayne Slusser, presents new information, unpublished letters, and over 30 illustrations. Also included are Ronald’s essay about his father, “George MacDonald: A Personal Note,” plus a selection from “The Laughing Elf,” his 1922 fable about the necessity of both sorrow and joy in life.

Endorsements

“Readers of George MacDonald’s writings and life will especially enjoy Dale Wayne Slusser’s informative and untold story of MacDonald’s son, Ronald, during his struggling life in America. In the Near Loss of Everything reveals that Ronald MacDonald – headmaster, novelist, fairytale writer, and playwright – inherited more than his father’s literary talent; like his father, he also personified the role of Greatheart throughout his life.”
~ Glenn Edward Sadler, editor of An Expression of Character: The Letters of George MacDonald

“Dale Wayne Slusser’s careful research of primary documents is artfully presented in this absorbing account of the life of George MacDonald’s son, Ronald. His father’s influence is clearly evident in Ronald’s comments about life, death, and the Christian life. In the Near Loss of Everything also provides readers with a unique glimpse into the lives of Ronald’s parents and siblings.”
~ David L. Neuhouser, Scholar in Residence, Taylor University Center for the Study of C. S. Lewis and Friends

“Dale Slusser’s book would be a special treat for George MacDonald enthusiasts, if only for its appendices. In them we get fascinating, out of print samples of Ronald MacDonald’s own writing: parts of a fairy tale, and Ronald’s remembrances of his father and comments on his father’s work. But Slusser does much more. In this account of Ronald’s time in America, and the troubles he shared there with his wife and sister, Slusser adds an important missing piece to our knowledge of the MacDonald family and its stuggles. And in telling the story of a man who did not give up, Slusser allows Ronald to do what his father has so often done: inspire and encourage. Well researched and well worth the having.”
~ Jeff McInnis, author of Shadows and Chivalry: C.S. Lewis & George MacDonald on Suffering, Evil, and Goodness