University of Virginia Library

At last there is to be a stage version of Little Women, that story which since its publication in 1868 has appealed to so many generations of readers. The dramatisation has been made by Miss Jessie Bonstelle (Mrs. Alexander Stuart), who for eight years has been working to obtain the necessary permission. The copyrights were in the possession of Miss Alcott's two nephews, the famous twins, "Daisy" and "Demi" (John and Demijohn), sons of Miss Alcott's last surviving sister, Mrs. Anna B. Pratt, to whom one of the editions, published by Little, Brown and Company, in 1889, was dedicated in these words: "The Sole Surviving Sister of Louisa M. Alcott, and Her Never Failing Help, Comforter and Friend from Birth to Death." In Boston the two Pratt boys when growing up were pointed out as the famous twins, just as Vivian Burnett was pointed out as Little Lord Fauntleroy. There has been a certain New England prejudice against making a play of the story, although Miss Alcott herself was fond of the theatre and actually wrote herself a short comedy which was produced at the Boston Theatre.

The original publishers of Little Women were Roberts Brothers of Boston. In September, 1867, they issued Hospital Sketches, an account of Miss Alcott's experiences during the war, which had appeared serially in the Commonwealth. The following year, in response to their request for a girl's book, Miss Alcott wrote Little Women, which was originally called "The Pathetic Family." Of the two hundred thousand dollars earned by Miss Alcott in literary work the greater part represented the profits from the "Little Women Series," which consisted of eight volumes—Little Women, An Old Fashioned Girl, Little Men, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, Under the Lilacs, Jack and Jill and Jo's Boys. Miss Alcott did not hesitate to say that parts of Little Women were taken from life. This is her own statement:

Little Women—The early plays and experiences; Beth's death; Jo's literary and Amy's artistic experiences; Meg's happy home; John Brooke and his death; Demi's character. Mr. March did not go to the war, but Jo did. Mrs. March is all true, only not half good enough. Laurie is not an American boy, though every lad I ever knew claims the character. He was a Polish boy Ladislas Wisinewski met abroad in 1865. Mr. Lawrence is my godfather.