Six of her stories were published in various magazines including "The New Mexico Quarterly Review", "Collier's", and "The Reader's Digest." A year later her second novel, "Hangsaman" was ready for publication. Critics, a "Time" magazine staffer and the writer of "The Yale Review", regarded this book as one of the outstanding books of the year. (Friedman, 29) During the 1950s, while her children were growing up, Jackson published at least forty-four short stories, six articles; two book-length family chronicles; one children's nonfiction book; and four novels. In 1952, besides publishing eleven short stories in various magazines, "The Lottery" was adapted for television. A year later "Life Among the Savages" was published, while "The Lottery was adapted into play form. The play, which was one-act, was the most performed play for the next several years in little theater and high school groups. (Friedman, 31) Two years later, in 1954, the publication of her novel "The Bird's Nest" received very good reviews. "Both 'Hangsaman' and 'The Bird's Nest' are indications of her keen interest in the workings of the mind, and it may have been during this period that she herself first suffered moments of anxiety that became more intense as the years progressed." (Oppenheimer, 60) Probably one of Miss Jackson's more pleasant tasks was the writing of "The Witchcraft of Salem Village", a nonfiction Landmark book designed for the twelve-to fourteen-year-old reader, published in 1956. She had been asked to write the nonfiction book since her publicity after "The Lottery" indicated that she had witchlike traits, and she jokingly proclaimed herself the only practicing witch in New England. Jackson's second family chronicle, "Raising Demons" was published in 1957. During 1958 she wrote the children's play "The Bad Children" and a novel called "The Sundial". During the summer when there were no speaking engagements, Miss Jackson enjoyed attending the races a...
