Book Description
First published in 1950, this biography of Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) remains the standard work on the beloved American writer. Madeleine B. Stern, one of the world's leading Alcott scholars, shows how the breadth of Alcott's work, ranging from Little Women to sensational thrillers and war stories, serves as a reflection of a fascinating and complicated life dotted with poverty and riches alike, hard menial work, physical suffering relieved by opiates, and the acclaim of literary success. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A window in to Lousia May Alcott's world
Louisa May Alcott: A Biography by Madeleine B. Stern is like reading a novel . Ms. Alcott is the herione and all the famous and interesting people who lived with her in Concord are characters that come alive and make you connect with the history of their time.

Long but informative
If you are looking for a quick read on LMA life then this is not the book for you.But if you need to write a big report or you are just looking for a good informative book on her life, buy this biography.It is very informative and personal about the author.You would almost think you lived with Louisa May Alcott with all the details given in this book.

19C Style Detracts from BIography by Leading Alcott Scholar
Madeleine Stern was integral in uncovering the "lost" thrillers of Louisa May Alcott, which were published under her pen name A.M.Barnard. Because of her familiarity with Alcott's life and work, I expected a lot more out of the biography than I received.The author's 19C style detracts from the information presented and often leads to confusion on the part of the reader, assuming the reader has familiarity with the vocabulary, customs and diseases of the 19C. The author also mentions characters without bothering to mention their significance.For example "Miss Burnett" is mentioned several times in the biography.What is never mentioned is that "Miss Burnett" is Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of such childhood classics as "A Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden."I felt this book would have been more useful to me had it been written in a more straight forward style and been more educational in its approach not only to the Alcott in particular, but to the 19C in general.

good
"Moods" was a very good boo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An intimate view of a 19th Century author's life
When Louisa May Alcott's biography was published shortly after her death in 1888, a reviewer lamented, "We wish heartily that Miss Alcott had chosen to tell her own story." She does in these journals.

Through her father's influence as well as the emerging recogniton of her own devleoping talent, Alcott met many of the masters of American literature in her day: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne -- all of whom are mentioned often in her journals among her everyday struggles to support her family with her writing. She learned her craft by writing thrillers for tabloids while working as a domestic in wealthy households.

Louisa Alcott never intended for these pages to be read so reading them is an extremely personal experience. The reader gains an intimate insight into the life and mind of one of America's premiere 19th century women writers. Louisa was a poor speller, we learn, and we also learn how she felt about abolition, the Civil War, educational reform, women's rights and many other issues including arguments she had with her editors.

Reading JOURNALS was an intense experience that transported me into her time and her life. If you grew up reading LITTLE WOMEN and LITTLE MEN you'll thoroughly enjoy this look at a remarkable author's life. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Shook me up
Whether you agree with her conclusions or not, Martha Saxton's book is worth reading if only for the shock value.

Not your ordinary, dry timeline of a book, this is written as if you had the displeasure of being an Alcott cousin or neighbor.What if you knew your neighbor never worked, on philosophical grounds, leading his wife and children to near starvation? What if you knew your cousins rarely lived in the same house for more than 2 years in a row, so that the children had no friends? I grew to absolutely despise the self-important, myopic Bronson Alcott and have sympathy for his wife's family (her father seems never to have liked the guy and tried in vain to keep her inheritance from paying off his debts).

The facts of this book are very much in sync with those presented in John Matteson's Eden's Outcasts.It's just that in the telling, Matteson attempts to cut Bronson some slack.Also, Martha Saxton gives more whole quotes--feels like almost every paragraph--which gives a good idea of the actual voice of the person being described but it does make tiring reading.

Whether this book leaves you angry AT Saxton or WITH her, this is not a book that will leave you uninvolved. Great fun.

A Most Uncommon Little Woman
I can't remember the last time a book made me cry; it was probably 50 years ago when I first read "Little Women"; Beth's death was unbearably sad, but there is a death in this book that is even more shocking and unexpected, all the more so because it is a biography, and not fiction. Louisa May Alcott (the middle name "May" was not added to her name for the lilt, as in Cheryl "Lynn," but was in fact her mother's maiden name -- a charming custom at the time, but not in the best interest of security, today, almost like my telling you my mother's maiden name is Halper) lived a mean, hard-scrabble life. Growing up in a family of four daughters, with a transcendentalist-philosopher father who did not believe in working for pay, owning property, or running a business; Louisa and her sisters subsisted on a diet of raw apples and cold water for much of their childhood, with the occasional hard cracker for fiber. Her father did believe in charity, however, so her life -- and her mother's life -- was a constant scratchfor money to support the family, any way they could. Louisa was a teacher, governess, and paid companion to an invalid woman; until at last she was able to bring in enough money through her writing to keep her parents comfortable; although there were no luxuries in the Alcott homestead, eventually she was able to install a furnace. Even then, it seemed, when she was a famous author, earning large advances for her books, there was never enough money for her to feel secure.
She did indeed have an older sister, who married a steady, boring young man (the Meg and John Brooke of "Little Women") and a frail sister, Beth, who met the same fate as her eponymous doppelganger in "LW", and a young, pretty artist sister, the baby and beauty of the family, named Abigail, nicknamed Abby (after her mother, who was nicknamed Abba) who changed her name to May (to distinguish herself from her mother).
The world of the Alcotts in Massachusetts was populated with the era's greatest thinkers: Ralph Waldo Emerson was their next-door neighbor; as a teenager Louisa had a mad crush on a local gardener, Henry David Thoreau, a misogynistic mama's boy whom one could kindly describe as a "shrub shlub." Nathaniel Hawthorne was another neighbor; Walt Whitman made an appearence in Concord; May, studying painting in Europe, befriended no less a light than Mary Cassatt, the pre-eminent female artist of the time. The Alcotts' world was peopled with women's suffragists (Louisa voting for the first time -- in a school board election!) and abolitionists such as John Brown and William Lloyd Garrison.
Louisa's greatest personal triumph was probably her service as a nurse during the Civil War; although the adventure ended badly, and left her health in ruins for the rest of her life, it was there that she used her hands, and head, and heart to heal the broken young men in the Grand Army hospital. Surprisingly, and sadly, the writing of "Little Women" was not the heartfelt outpouring of a romantic soul, but a simply a work ground out by a sick, tired woman to pay her family's endless debts.
When, towards the end, Emerson appears in the family's parlor -- for he had been asked to "break the news" of yet another sad passing (and you know your family is distinguished when America's greatest living [and perhaps all-time] philosopher is in your home to deliver sad news) -- you'll reach for your Puffs, with Aloe.
But don't cry for Louisa, when death finally comes, it is an almost blessed relief.

Louisa may Alcott: A Modern Biography by Martha Saxton
Having done a good deal of research on Louisa May Alcott, I would call Martha Saxton's work -the soap opera biography.She takes liberties with her source material such as utilizing the freshman english paper style of pulling quotes out of context and with the ever helpful ...uses them to support some National Enquirer type inferences and some pretty out there theories.It makes for a juicy read, but she comes to some highly questionable if not bizarre conclusions. Even the Orchard House, home of the Alcotts, will not sell this book due to the poor scholarship and that should tell you something. Still best biography is Madeleine B. Stern's - thorough, well done and highly recommended over Saxton's questionable attempt.

Interesting times
The world that Louisa May Alcott lived in was amazing--personal family friends included Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, etc. Unfortunately, this isn't a terrific biography because the author falls into an "overquoting" pattern. Instead of making the story flow and drawing conclusions from the family's extensive journals, Saxton just endlessly quotes passages. It grew tedious. For an excellent biography that doesn't fall into this trap, check out "Lindberg" by A. Scott Berg.

A history that keeps your interest
I grew up on Louisa May Alcott's books-- and wanted to "BE" Jo March.Well, Saxton's biography traces the parts of Jo that are Alcott, and points out the important differences between the fiction Alcott created and the life she lived.The biography points out Alcott's troubled relationship with her family, her need to support them and feel important, and her severe disabilities later in life (the time she was writing most of her work) because of a "Mercury Cure."Saxton takes quite an antagonistic view towards Bronson Alcott, and her sympathies are quite "feminist" in origin-- but all in all, this book will be a great read, and teach you a lot about this incredible, under-rated writer who is a part of our cultural heritage. ... Read more

Book Description
A passionate supporter of abolition and women's rights,Louisa May Alcott championed these causes in gothic tales of interracialromance and in newspaper articles published during the Civil War. Drawnfrom her service as a nurse in a Union hospital as well as from herradical abolitionist activities, these writings allow Alcott to commentboldly on unstable racial identities, interracial sex and marriage, armedslave rebellion, war, and the links between the bondage of slaves and theconditions of white womanhood.A comprehensive introduction situatesAlcott and her family within the network of antebellum reformers andunmasks her personal and literary struggles with the boundaries of race,sex, and class. ... Read more

Book Description
Six years before she wrote Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, in financial straits, entered "Pauline's Passion and Punishment," a novelette, in a newspaper contest. Not only did it win the $100 prize, but, published anonymously, it marked the first in the series of "blood & thunder tales" that would be her livelihood for years.

In Behind a Mask, editor Madeleine Stern introduces four Alcott thrillers: "Pauline's Passion and Punishment," "The Mysterious Key," "The Abbot's Ghost," and the title story, "Behind a Mask." First published in one volume in 1975, they are regarded as Alcott's finest work in this genre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Deffinately no Little Women... but better
What a trippy book. I was in highschool when my mother gave me this book for Christmas. I was a girlie girl and a fan of Little Women. My best friend and I were even into the spin off stories from that book and when we found out there was a collection of "dark", unknown Louisa May Alcott stories that were being published we had no idea what we were about to sit down to. I must of read each story twice. From an old witchie woman driving the men of a family mad to smoking hash, a whole new world was being opened up to me. Reading this turned me on to short stories, and I wanted to read more like it which led me into discovering author's like Graham Greene and James Baldwin. I was also devoting myself to go to English and Literature class and trying out some of my own short stories. I think if you have a young women in your home who's into reading and dabbles in things like poetry and writting this is a good book to add to her collection... right next to Little Women

Remeber Jo's "naughty stories?"
In Little Women, remember the stories that Professor Bhaer convinces Jo aren't worthy of her?These stories, written under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard, are sort of those, just as Jo was "sort of" Alcott's alter ego...Alcott loved these short stories, considered quite scandalous, and she felt they were better work than the "moral pap for children" (her words, not mine) for which she is more famous.

While I love Little Women (read it a million times), and am really glad she wrote that "moral stuff," these stories have a darker edge than the happy March home-- thrillingly scandalous.Some of the short stories are a little bit less finely crafted than others, but all of the ones in this collection are fabulous.Actresses!Poisoners!Exotic Locales!Revenge-seeking scorned women!Wicked Women in general! This is one of many collected by Stern-- so get them all, and learn about the darker persona of the famous "girl's writer."

Enthralling!
Every story in this book is a page-turner!You will boo the villains and cheer the heroines -- who sometimes happen to be one and the same.Three cheers for Madeleine Stern for resurrecting these rousing tales.

Characters hardly "Little Women"
In this collection of four short stories, Louisa May Alcott reveals herself as a racy, infinately readable author. Each story features strong women, with sharp tongues and sharper wits. Every plot has an unexpected twist, and a decidedly dark touch of irony. If you couldn't read Little Women because of its flowery prose, here is a second chance to aquaint yourself with an incredible American author. Every story is a page turner to the very end, and each short enough to be read in an evening. ... Read more

Book Description
Uncovered by literary sleuths Leona Rostenberg and MadeleineStern, the 29 known thrillers by one of America's most adored juvenilefiction writers are now available in a single volume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Incredible
This is an absolutely breathtaking collection of twenty-nine thrillers from Louisa May Alcott.Each story that I read kept me up until the wee hours of the morning because they were so good!And after I was done reading them, I was still thinking about them for days on end.Powerful women, betrayal, wards/guardians, romance, murder... each plays a delectable part in these brilliant novellettes.You have the masterfully manipulative Jean Muir in the famous story "Behind a Mask: Or a Woman's Power", the admirable villain in "A Nurse's Story", the wonderful Russian/Parisian love story of "Taming a Tartar", the heroic villainess in "The Mysterious Key, and What it Opened", an exquisite character study in "A Marble Woman: or, The Mysterious Model", dark tragedy and hints of incest in "A Whisper in the Dark", and the shockingly villainous hero in "La Jeune; or Actress and Woman" or "A Laugh and A Look".Then there is the delightfully frustrating "My Mysterious Mademoiselle", in which the protagonist is thwarted rather severely in his love interest.Love has a main role in almost all of these stories; usually emphasizing the power balance between the sexes.Alcott has a way of standing things on their heads, and is a master of the surprise ending.

Worth every minute, worth every dollar, this collection includes all of the known thrillers of Alcott, as well as a remarkably throrough and informative introduction by Madeleine Stern. ... Read more

Book Description
Oh, the beautiful old story! Of the little child that lay In a manger on that morning, When the stars sang in the day ...

One of America's most treasured authors, Louisa May Alcott shines her brightest in this collection of holiday stories and poems. Each selection radiates with the true meaning of the season -- charity, hope, kinship, and love. From the Bassett family's holiday meal in An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving to Little Effie receiving a grand surprise in A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True, the girls and boys of this simpler time bring joy to our hearts today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

...these tales will warm your heart no matter how cold it is outside
Louisa May Alcott is known for her longer works such as LITTLE WOMEN and GOOD WIVES. While those tales stay bright in my heart and mind, it was her collection of holiday stories and poems found within the pages of A LOUISA MAY ALCOTT CHRISTMAS that have left the deepest impression on me. A LOUISA MAY ALCOTT CHRISTMAS contains 16 short stories, and 4 poems, each one about a different family spreading the joy of the holidays.

AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING - It is November, 1881, and Thanksgiving has fallen upon the Bassett family household. Grandma is sick, so, as opposed to trekking out in the snow to spend the holidays with her, the girls prepare to make a wonderful Thanksgiving feast in their cozy, warm home; where they realize that home-spent Thanksgiving's can be just as rewarding as those where travel is involved. 4/5 stars.

THE SILVER PARTY - Tony's mother realizes that his tiny cold is turning into a full-blown sickness, so demands that he stay home in bed on Thanksgiving until the splendid meal is laid out, while the rest of the family traipse through the snow and make merry. However, while lounging on the couch, Tony hears the silver speaking to one another. Forks, spoons, ladles, plates, and more, joining in idle gossip about him and his family, as he looks on in bewilderment. 4/5 stars.

OH, THE BEAUTIFUL OLD STORY - A beautiful poem that discusses the story of Christ's birth in the manger, as the animals look on, and behold the birth of a legend. 5/5 stars.

SOPHIE'S SECRET - Sixteen-year-old Sophie, a Swiss girl with money to burn in her pocket, feels excited to be in America, spending time with her new friends. But these so-called friends tend to tease her about everything - from the way she speaks, to why she hoards her money. So when she meets a hardworking, poor girl named Tilly, who dreams of someday attending school and learning, Sophie decides to make Tilly her holiday project, showering her with gifts that will make her dreams come true - much to the chagrin of her oft-times gossiping new friends. 5/5 stars.

ROSA'S TALE - It is said that on Christmas Eve, for one hour after midnight, animals are given the gift of speech, to proclaim everything that's inside their minds and hearts. It is during this time that young Belinda rushes out to surprise her equine friend, Rosa, with a wonderful holiday feast, only to hear Rosa tell the sordid tale of her life, and her fears regarding her future. 5/5 stars.

THE LITTLE RED PURSE - Lu received many things for her tenth birthday, but the one thing that excited her the most was the little red purse that matched her mother's, and the ten cents it held. Being a generous child, Lu quickly gives the ten cents to less-fortunate people around her. However, when she meets a poor child, begging for food for her ailing family, Lu decides to do even more, and collects as much money, presents, and food as she possibly can to present to her new friend, and her family, on Christmas morning. 5/5 stars.

TESSA'S SURPRISES - Ever since twelve-year-old Tessa's mother died, things have become complicated for the little girl. Her Italian plaster-worker father brings in enough money only to pay the rent, and for small bits of food, and Tessa feels that she won't be able to present her younger siblings with a special Christmas. When she enlists the help of her friend, Tommo, however, singing along with his harp-playing, she begins earning some spare pennies, and even meets a rich family who has something special planned for the hardworking Tessa that will make this Christmas more splendid than all the rest. 5/5 stars.

A SONG FOR A CHRISTMAS TREE - A lovely poem that describes the tastes, sounds, and feel of Christmas - along with a line or two regarding Christ's birth. 5/5 stars.

A CHRISTMAS TURKEY, AND HOW IT CAME - Kitty's family has slowly been ripping at the seams ever since her father began bringing home only half of his paycheck, spending the rest on alcohol. And now, with Christmas upon them, Kitty feels that it is her duty to provide a wonderful Christmas feast, accompanied with a few small gifts, for her younger brothers. However, as the three of them set out to begin their days of work, in an attempt to earn money for the dreamt of feast, they realize that they certainly won't have enough money for a turkey, and feel as if the holiday will be ruined. That is, until their father surprises them with the Christmas of their dreams. 5/5 stars.

WHAT THE BELLS SAW AND SAID - The bells in the town do not chime only when they are pulled, or at set times. But chime in an attempt to warn the townspeople of the loss of one of their own, who found herself poor and starving. To try to alert people that they must do something, anything, to help those less fortunate than themselves. To give a little joy to others for the Christmas season. But it all falls on deaf ears...4/5 stars.

A HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS - Miss Hale may be around those who are sick, or injured from the war day in and day out. But the love and joy that these men experience, and give to one another on a daily basis is more than anyone could ask for. However, when Christmas dinner arrives being less than expected, the men feel as if their holiday is ruined. Until, one by one, they receive various items from home that give them reason to appreciate all that they have been given for the holidays this year. 4/5 stars.

HOW IT ALL HAPPENED - Sisters Dolly and Polly realize that Christmas will not be anything special this year, especially when they bring home their Christmas tree, and realize that it is no bigger than a twig. However, the two girls want to make a wonderful holiday for their younger siblings and don't know how. When their neighbor, Miss Kent, hears them sobbing through the wall, she enlists the help of some of the other neighbors, in an attempt to offer the two girls the Christmas that they've always dreamed of. 5/5 stars.

TILLY'S CHRISTMAS - Tilly knows that this year she will be receiving nothing for Christmas, her mother having barely enough money to clothe and feed the two of them. So, on her way home from school, as her two friends discuss the many presents they will be receiving the next morning, Tilly rescues a baby bird that has lost its way, taking it home to nurse it back to health. Her good deed does not go unnoticed, for the next morning, there is a surprise she never could have expected, awaiting both her and her mother. A surprise that will make this Christmas their best yet. 5/5 stars.

WHAT POLLY FOUND IN HER STOCKING - A delightful poem talking about young Polly, and the many wonderful treasures she finds as she empties out her stocking on Christmas morning. 5/5 stars.

A CHRISTMAS DREAM, AND HOW IT CAME TRUE - Ten-year-old Effie has everything she's ever dreamed of, from delightful treats, to wonderful toys; which makes Christmas a boring event for her. When she falls asleep, and dreams of a place where children are much less privileged than she, she enlists the help of her mother and Nanny, to create the best Christmas ever: one that will provide something new and exciting for herself, and give hope to many underprivileged girls who have yet to experience the joy that she experiences each and every day. 5/5 stars.

KATE'S CHOICE - Fifteen-year-old Kate is saddened when her father dies, leaving her a very well-off orphan, with money to spare. She is now forced to face the task of visiting each of her four Uncles, and choosing which one she feels suited to live with. However, at her final Uncle's home, she learns of a Grandmother who hasn't been seen in years, and decides to visit her, only to find that she is the guardian Kate can't live without. And now, as Kate finds herself overjoyed at her new living arrangement, she decides to create a family Christmas for her loving Grandmother, in an attempt to bring a newfound joy into her life. 5/5 stars.

MRS. PODGERS' TEAPOT - Mrs. Podgers never loved her husband, until the day he died and she discovered that he had done many kind things for the less fortunate, and decides to stay true to him until the day he dies. She has her son to keep her happy, anyway. However, when her young son dies, she finds herself alone, and quite somber. When one of her tenants, and good friends, Mr. 'Rusalem, finds a poverty-stricken young boy, Mrs. Podgers realizes that he is just the thing she needs to feel complete; and finds herself learning new things about Mr. 'Rusalem that will change her opinions of her deceased husband. 4/5 stars.

A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS - Sophie Vaughan and Aunt Plumy want nothing more than for the citified Emily and her writer friend, Randal, to spend the holidays with their family. Aunt Plumy plans on providing them with a good, old-fashioned country Christmas, full of good food, and cozy stories. When the two accept the invitation, Sophie, along with Aunt Plumy, Saul, and Ruth, create the Christmas that is only imaginable in dreams, and learn a lot about the city-folks way of living. 4/5 stars.

COUSIN TRIBULATION'S STORY - When a young girls family is visited by a young boy early New Year's morning, begging for some food; the girls mother accompanies him to his home, only to find his mother sick, and his siblings starving and dressed in tatters. The young girls mother quickly rushes home and asks her children if they would be willing to part with their New Year's breakfast of porridge, and offer it to the less-fortunate. It is this one event that changes the young girls life forever, shaping her to be the person she is today. 5/5 stars.

MERRY CHRISTMAS - A poem that captures the true essence of Christmas morning, and the wonderful feelings everyone succumbs to - from the coolness of the floor under bare feet, to the rosy cheeks; and the sounds of angels wings rustling, to larks singing.

It is not often that I stumble upon a short story collection that immerses me as deeply as Louisa May Alcott's A LOUISA MAY ALCOTT CHRISTMAS. However, from the very first story, to the very last, I found myself enraptured in the delightful prose, the oft-times somber characters, and the wonderful charity found on each and every page. The stories found within this collection are truly those that should be cherished; each one recanting the story of those less-privileged being helped by the rich, in an attempt to give them the opportunity to have a Christmas like no other. The stand-out stories, are ROSA'S TALE and A CHRISTMAS DREAM, AND HOW IT CAME TRUE. However, each tale fills your heart with a warmth that is utterly unimaginable, teaching readers young and old the lesson of giving. If you are going to purchase one Christmas story collection this year, let this be it; for these tales will warm your heart no matter how cold it is outside.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer ... Read more

Book Description
The lost stories include many newly discovered tales.Written while she was completing LITTLE WOMEN, the thrillers that Alcott scribbled in her Boston attic were drawn from her experiences, from her reading, and even from her dreams.Her characters are infused with life, and each story is an engaging potboiler that leaves the reader in suspense until the very last paragraph. ... Read more

Book Description
Dear Reader:

The Childhood of Famous Americans series, sixty-five years old in 1997, chronicles the early years of famous American men and women in an accessible manner. Each book is faithful in spirit to the values and experiences that influenced the person's development. History is fleshed out with fictionalized details, and conversations have been added to make the stories come alive to today's reader, but every reasonable effort has been made to make the stories consistent with the events, ethics, and character of their subjects.

These books reaffirm the importance of our American heritage. We hope you learn to love the heroes and heroines who helped shape this great country. And by doing so, we hope you also develop a lasting love for the nation that gave them the opportunity to make their dreams come true. It will do the same for you.

Happy Reading!

The Editors

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A pleasure to read, and informative too!
My nine year old daughter virtually consumed this biography.This is the 3rd book she has read in this series, and she has asked for more.I have read them along with her--they are appropriate for 8-10 year olds, interesting, accessible, but never condescending or preachy.Based on my knowledge of the subjects, they are only marginally fictionalized.In a world of pop singers and barely literate actresses, it is a pleaseure to be able to provide real heroes and heroines that modern kids will enjoy and be inspired by. ... Read more

Book Description
In this intimate anthology of letters, poems, stories, and other personal and literary writing by Louisa May Alcott, an often surprising portrait emerges of this pioneering writer. The author and her world are brought even more vividly to life with rare photographs and handwritten manuscripts and letters from The New York Public Library's extensive collections. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome Find
I have enjoyed Louisa May Alcott's writings for a long time, so I was thrilled to find this book! I was very eager to read it and it did not disappoint me!

If you are a fan of Louisa May Alcott, this book is a MUST!It is packed full of great stuff.

In this anthology you will find four autobiographical stories and essays; a selection of her letters; five poems by L.M.A.; selections from her journals from age 14 to shortly before her death; and four of her short stories.

There is also a section titled "Remembering Louisa May Alcott."This portion includes essays, photographs, drawings and a poem.Fascinating!

Included at the back of the book are suggestions for further reading and a checklist of illustrations.It was very interesting to read about L.M.A and see photos of her and places she had lived.

Another interesting note is that her life was very similar to the March family in "Little Women".

This is a great book!Interesting and factual with much of Louisa's work I have not found anywhere else.Worth buying! ... Read more

Book Description
This charming illustrated book captures the life of a writer whose work is enjoying a resurgence of popularity, and reveals the reality that inspired the timeless novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

enchanting and informative
The beautiful photograph on the front cover is only the first of many that appear throughout this delightful book. I originally purchased it as a resource for a school report on Louisa May Alcott, but soon found myselfengrossed in reading every detail. The book contains information on variousevents and people in LMA's life, as well as her novels. In addition to achronology of her life, it has an illustrated map of New England in theback that highlights the many places where she lived. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fun Childhood recipes
I have had this since it was first published and I have enjoyed it very much over the years.My father and I have been making the gingerbread recipe since I was young and just made it again last week (I often add chocolate chips to make it more of a treat).My daughter will soon be old enough to help me with these recipies and I look forward to sharing them with her.I highly reccomend this as a book to any parent or grandparent looking to share the baking experience with their child.

Lots of fond memories...
As a child, I loved cooking and loved hearing Little Women and Little Men. So I have many, many memories of enjoying this book. I think I read from it more than actually cooking, because the recipes definitely require help from a grown-up, at least for those toward the bottom of the target age. However, I "helped" my Mom make the Honey-Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust for Thanksgiving when I was five, and it's been a standing tradition in our family for 22 years now. I'll partially attribute my life-long love of cooking to this book, because it helped link work in the kitchen with stories I loved. ... Read more

Book Description
Louisa May Alcott's extensive oeuvre has intrigued and absorbed fans and literary scholars alike, perhaps none more so than Madeleine B. Stern, whose influential articles on Alcott's life and work span half a century.Stern attributes her long-time preoccupation "to a succession of literary discoveries and events as well as to periodic resurgences of popular interest in the Concord Scheherazade."

Now Stern brings together her essays for the first time in an engaging collection that illuminates Alcott's development as an individual and as a writer, revealing a surprisingly complex personality who penned sensational page-turners with one hand and domestic sagas with the other.

Stern's writings on the many-faceted Alcott draw on such overlooked sources as personal letters, local histories, genealogies, and playbills kept by the stage-struck author.The broad range of pieces traces the growing professionalism that led to Alcott's experiments with multiple genres and themes, uncovers her feminist and abolitionist convictions, and examines the discoveries that unmasked her double literary life.

This compilation by a distinguished Alcott scholar provides an innovative and in-depth portrait of a beloved American writer touched by genius.As Stern writes in her introduction: "The story of Louisa May Alcott is by no means over.A natural source of stories, she is also, and will continue to be a natural source of exploration and discovery." ... Read more

Book Description
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) is arguably the most widely read 19th-century author in America. Even through the 1990s, her books continued to appear on bestseller lists and her works were made into films. She has long been a staple of children's literature courses and now also receives significant attention in American studies and women's studies classes. While her tremendous popularity has yielded numerous biographies and a growing number of critical works, very few reference books have been devoted to Alcott studies and none are particularly current or complete. This book collects in a comprehensive and reliable single volume the most important facts about Alcott's life and works. This reference surveys the basic biographical details about Alcott's family and personal life. It supplies essential information on her historical and cultural contexts, including her place in the 19th century publishing milieu, various reform movements, and major historical events, such as the Civil War. It also treats her writings, both the adult and children's works, in an accurate, informative, and accessible manner. The volume includes more than 600 alphabetically arranged entries. Each entry discusses the topic's relevance to Alcott's life and current scholarship about her. Many of the entries close with brief bibliographies, and the book concludes with a list of works for further reading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Provides an excellent reference
College-level students of Alcott's works will find the Louisa May Alcott Encyclopedia to be a fine reference examining the biographical details of Alcott's life and family. From her place in 19th century history and publishing achievements to her adult and children's writings as a whole, the Louisa May Alcott Encyclopedia provides an excellent reference. ... Read more