Meg was based on Louisa’s sister Anna, who fell in love with her husband John Bridge Pratt while performing opposite him in a play. Lee Library, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons Meg, Beth, and Amy March were based on Alcott's sisters.Īlcott, BYU - Harold B. It became an instant bestseller and turned Alcott into a rich and famous woman. In September, a mere four months after starting the book, Little Women was published. On July 15, she sent all 402 pages to her editor. She worked on it day and night, becoming so consumed with it that she sometimes forgot to eat or sleep. Little Women took just 10 weeks to write.Īlcott began writing the book in May 1868. When it became clear that Bronson would have an opportunity to publish a new book if Louisa started her girls' story, she caved into the pressure. Although Bronson was a well-known thinker who was friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, his work never achieved much acclaim. When it became clear Alcott was stalling, Niles offered a publishing contract to her father, Bronson Alcott. Alcott said she would try, but she wasn’t all that interested, later calling such books “moral pap for the young.” Louisa May Alcott was writing both literature and pulp fiction (sample title: Pauline's Passion and Punishment) when Thomas Niles, the editor at Roberts Brothers Publishing, approached her about writing a book for girls. Louisa May Alcott didn't want to write Little Women.

Whether it's been days or years since you've last read it, here are 10 things you might not know about Alcott's classic tale of family and friendship. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is one of the world's most beloved novels, and even today-more than 150 years after its original publication-it's still capturing new generations of readers.

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