The Alexander Technique is practised by many thousands of people throughout
the world and has been the subject of dozens of books and numerous articles in
scientific journals. This book is not about the technique, but about its
originator, his origins as a descendant of convicts transported to Tasmania, and
his life spent developing, practising and teaching his methods; first in
Australia, then in England and America. In this well-researched book the author
(the great-niece of Alexander) provides a fascinating picture of his background,
family and early career ... a little known story ... before explaining his
appearance on the world stage.
Alexander came to England in 1904 and the next fifty years of his life in
London, Kent and America are described in vivid, chronological details,
including the contributions on his friends and associates. The impact of the
First World War on his thinking is highlighted, when he crossed the Atlantic
every six months to divide his teaching time equally. Later, he established a
small school for children with problems and, in 194 after Dunkirk, he took some
of the children on a traumatic h\journey to America. His final years were marred
by a court case in South Africa, which he won, fortunately for the future of his
work.
This important history make skilful use of original documents, personal and
family papers and the archives of senior Alexander teachers to reveal the man
behind the method, the teacher behind the Technique, and the challenges that he
had to face and overcome. It also identifies the colleagues and other people who
were so essential to the establishment of a Technique now taught across the
wortld that has been of profound benefit to so many.
Contents:
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part 1: Frederick Matthias Alexander's Ancestors from Wiltshire, England to
Table Cape, Tasmania
1. Alexanders of England
2. Captain Swing Riots
3. London and the Old Bailey
4. Ships
5. Longford to Table Cape
Part 2: Frederick Matthias Alexander 1869-1904 Tasmania and Mainland
Australia
6. Early Life
7. Waratah, Wynyard and Melbourne
8. Family Life in Wynward and Alexander the Reciter
9. Teaching in Melbourne and Sydney
Part 3: Frederick Matthias Alexander 1904-1955 From Australia to England
10. London and Melbourne
11. The First World War
12. The 1920s
13. he Development of the Work
14. The Second World War
15. The South African Case
16. Final Years
Frederick Matthias Alexander, His Legacy by John Gray
