Little Women Paperback - 1997
by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women is the heartwarming story of the March family that has thrilled generations of readers. It is the story of four sisters--Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth-- and of the courage, humor and ingenuity they display to survive poverty and the absence of their father during the Civil War.
About this book
Little Women (or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts, it was published in two parts in 1868 and 1869. The novel follows the lives of four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March—on their way into adulthood while their father serves as a chaplain in the American Civil War.
Although it is not based on a true story, it is loosely inspired by the author's childhood experiences with her three sisters and her father’s educational philosophy. Amos Bronson Alcott, a pioneer of “progressive education,” was a notable intellectual at the time.
The book was an assignment of Alcott’s editor Thomas Niles, who wanted a novel for young women for the Robert Brothers publishing catalog. Although she initially despised the idea of writing a "girls' story," once she started, her writing became feverish. The first volume was published in 1868 with illustrations by Louisa’s younger sister May - the inspiration for the character of ‘Amy’ in the novel. It became an immediate hit, and the initial printing of two thousand copies sold out in two weeks. Little Women's original book cover was maroon cloth with gilt lettering, and it has become one of the most iconic Little Women book covers.
The second part of the novel was issued in 1869, under the title of Good Wives in the UK. The novel is still published separately in some instances, although starting in 1880 the two parts were published as one single volume under Little Women in the US.
Little Women has been adapted into a film on four different occasions. The first one was George Cukor’s 1933 version, which cast Katharine Hepburn as Jo, followed by the 1949 Mervyn LeRoy adaptation, and the 1994 film directed by Gilliam Armstrong, the first one directed, adapted, and produced by women. The most recent version was in 2019 by director Greta Gerwig and stars Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Saoirse Ronan, and Eliza Scanlen.
Alcott’s most successful work has had notable cultural relevance all over the world. The ambitious and free-spirited Jo March has inspired women writers since its publication. Her unpretentious depiction of the March sisters and their aims and frustrations distinguish the work from the pious and moral tales of the time.
If you are looking for books like Little Women, the novel has two sequels that constitute an unofficial trilogy: Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo’s Boys (1871), which tells the story of Jo Bhaer (formerly March), Professor Bhaer, and the children at Plumfield Estate School; and the followup, Jo’s Boys and How They Turned Out (1886).
From the rear cover
In this favorite story of long ago, you'll meet the unforgettable March sisters -- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. They live with their mother, called Marmee, in a small house next to the Lawrence mansion. Their father is an army chaplain, away during the Civil War.
You'll enjoy getting to know the sisters and sharing the adventure of growing up. Meg is plump and earns money by caring for children in the neighborhood. Jo likes to write and make up stories and plays for her sisters. Beth is gentle and quiet and enjoys knitting by the fire and helping with household chores. Amy, the youngest, wants to be an artist.
As you read or listen to this specially abridged version of the story, you'll be there as the Marches share Christmas breakfast with a poor family; as Jo sells her beautiful long hair to buy a train ticket so Marmee can visit Mr. March; as Beth falls ill with scarlet fever; and as the sisters become grown women who fall in love and get married. Reprinted in large, easy-to-read type, this edition includes 30 illustrations that capture the joy and sadness of this wonderful story of a close-knit family in nineteenth-century America.
First Edition Identification
The first US edition of Little Women was published in 1868 by the Roberts Brothers, Boston and includes an advertisement in the back pricing Little Women at $1.25. The second part was published in 1869. Each volume is illustrated with a frontispiece and three plates; those in the first part of Little Women were created by the author’s sister, May. Originally bound in purple cloth with gold lettering. The first UK edition was published by Sampson Low in 1869.
Details
- Title Little Women
- Author Louisa May Alcott
- Binding Paperback
- Edition [ Edition: repri
- Pages 112
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Dover Publications, New York
- Date 1997-06-04
- Abridged Yes
- Illustrated Yes
- Features Abridged, Illustrated
- ISBN 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Weight 0.2 lbs (0.09 kg)
- Dimensions 8.27 x 5.24 x 0.38 in (21.01 x 13.31 x 0.97 cm)
- Ages 08 to 14 years
- Grade levels 3 - 9
- Reading level 1090
-
Themes
- Chronological Period: 1851-1899
- Cultural Region: New England
- Geographic Orientation: Massachusetts
- Topical: Family
- Library of Congress subjects Sisters - Fiction, Family life - New England - Fiction
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 96039462
- Dewey Decimal Code FIC
More Copies for Sale
Little Women
by LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, ROBERT BLAISDELL, THEA KLIROS
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
POWDER SPGS, Georgia, United States
- Item Price
-
$2.00$4.49 shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women (Dover Children's Thrift Classics)
by Louisa May Alcott
- Used
- Condition
- UsedGood
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Imperial, Missouri, United States
- Item Price
-
$4.41FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women (Dover Children's Thrift Classics)
by Louisa May Alcott
- Used
- Acceptable
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.11FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women (Dover Children's Thrift Classics)
by Louisa May Alcott
- Used
- Good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Kingwood, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.15FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women
by Alcott, Louisa May
- Used
- Good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.99FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women
by Alcott, Louisa May
- Used
- Good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 14
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.99FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
- Used
- Acceptable
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 3
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.99FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
- Used
- Very Good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 4
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.99FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.01FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Little Women
by Alcott, Louisa
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780486296340 / 0486296342
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.66FREE shipping to USA