Frederick Matthias Alexander's Biography(Books)(Photos)

Frederick Matthias Alexander (20 January 1869
– 10 October 1955) was an Australian actor

and passed off as Owen's son, named John
Vicary.

who developed the educational process that is
today called the Alexander Technique – a

The first training course was started at

form of education that is applied to
recognize and overcome reactive, habitual

Ashley Place in September 1930. and continued
alongside his own practice until 1940. When

limitations in movement and thinking.

the war came he lived and worked in the
United States from 1940 until 1943, which was

Alexander's first rooms in London, in 1904,
were at the Army & Navy Mansions in Victoria

a difficult time as his teachers were
disappearing into the services. Fearing that

Street, London, where he built a thriving
practice. In 1920 he moved a short distance

the technique would be lost, he returned to
London in 1943 and successfully restarted the

to continue practicing at 16 Ashley Place,
with the help of two teachers, Ethel Webb and

training course.

Irene Tasker. From the start of the First
World War in 1914, in order to maintain a

constant practice, most years until 1924 he
spent the Autumn and Winter in the United

The four books of F. Matthias Alexander exist
in many editions, being reprinted and

States.

revised, published in the UK and USA, and not
all editions are shown.

In 1914 Alexander married Edith Page, an
Australian who was the widow of one his best

Man's Supreme Inheritance, Methuen

friends, Robert Young, and in 1924 he bought
their home 'Penhill', a house with 20 acres

(London, 1910), revised and enlarged (New
York, 1918), later editions 1941, 1946, 1957,

(81,000 m2) of grounds, at Bexley in Kent,
where he started the "little school" for

Mouritz (uk, 1996), reprinted 2002
Constructive Conscious Control of the

children where his method was made
fundamental to the school curriculum. It was

Individual, Centerline Press (usa,1923),
revised 1946, Mouritz (uk, 2004)

not a happy marriage and he and Edith had no
children. However Alexander had a son with

The Use of the Self, E. P. Dutton (New
York, 1932), republished by Orion Publishing,

Gladys Johnson, the caretaker of Penhill:
Gladys, known as 'Jack.' Jack had married

2001
The Universal Constant In Living, Dutton

Owen Vicary, Edith's nephew, and after Jack
and Owen had separated in 1925 and Edith had

(New York, 1941), chaterson (London, 1942),
later editions 1943, 1946, centerline Press

moved out of Penhill in 1929, Alexander and
Jack became close; their son was born in 1931