Although the publication of
Little Women
in 1868 earned
Louisa May Alcott
tremendous popularity, for a long time she was thought of as a writer of children's stories and considered—at best—a minor figure in the American literary canon. Now, at the end of the twentieth century, Alcott's vast body of work is being celebrated alongside the greatest American writers, and this collection shows why.
The Portable Louisa May Alcott
samples the entire spectrum of Alcott's work: her novels, novellas, children's stories, sensationalist fiction, gothic tales, essays, letters, and journals. Presenting her more daring works, such as
Moods
and
Behind a Mask
(both reprinted in their entirety), alongside the familiar heroines of
, this singular collection offers readers a rich and wide-ranging portrait of this talented, prolific, and influential writer.