has written extensively on the homeschooling movement for nearly twenty years. The Homeschooling Handbook: From Preschool to High School, a Parent’s Guide, her book for new and prospective homeschoolers, was first published by Prima Publishing in January 1997, and went to four printings within its first year of publication. The revised 2nd edition was published in the spring of 1999 and went to a second printing within 8 days of its release; more than half a dozen printings have followed.

The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom was released in May 1998. Focusing on the idea that children learn best when they pursue their own natural curiosity and interests, it offers plenty of useful ideas and resources for an informal, unstructured approach to education. Since the Random House conglomerate purchased Prima a few years ago, both books have been published by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of Crown Books.)

Published in August 2007, Mary’s latest book, Viral Learning: Reflections on Homeschooling Life, looks at homeschooling from the perspective of long-term homeschoolers, including many who contributed to her earlier books. Viral Learning is available from Lulu.com and can be ordered from your favorite bookseller.

Griffith was a long-time activist with the HomeSchool Association of California (HSC), the state's oldest secular homeschooling organization. She served several terms on HSC's board of directors, and was editor of its bimonthly California HomeSchooler for four years. She is a frequent speaker at homeschooling conferences and other events, on such topics as unschooling, learning to live with homeschooling, and homeschool advocacy.

In addition to her homeschooling writing, Griffith is also working on a book about the sport of modern competitive fencing.