Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888):

  Annotated List of Novels

Year Compiled: 1997

Scope

Also, you will notice that one of the titles listed here (Hospital Sketches ) is accompanied by a note that reflects my uncertainty about its format. Since I believe it is most likely a novel, I have placed it in this category and am conducting further research to prove or disprove that assumption. If you know the proper category for that work, please contact me. Please also e-mail me if you can confirm or refute any other facts that I have listed with a question mark. Thank you for your patience and your assistance with this work in progress.  --Susan L. Tolbert, M.S.L.I.S.

Louisa May Alcott's Novels

1. Diana and Persis.  (1978)
   • Alternate Title:  An Untitled Romance.
   • First Published By:  Arno (New York)
   • Unfinished at time of death.
   • Discovered and edited by Sarah Elbert.
   • Year(s) Written: 1878-1879
   • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Elaine Showalter's Alternative Alcott .
2. Eight Cousins.  (1874-75)
   • Alternate Title:  The Aunt-Hill.
   • Published serially first, from December 5, 1874 to November 27, 1875.
   • Expanded for publication in book form in 1875.
   • Original Publisher (serial):  Good Things: A Picturesque Magazine for the Young of All Ages 
   • Original Publisher (book):  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
3. Genesis.  (Unpublished)
   • Alternate Title:  Genius ?
   • Unfinished at time of death.
   • Year(s) Written: 1883-?
4. Hospital Sketches.  (1863)
   • Published serially from May 22 to June 26 (except June 5 and June 19), 1863.
   • Revised and expanded for publication in book form in August 1863.
   • Original Publisher (serial):  The (Boston) Commonwealth  (an abolitionist paper)
   • Original Publisher (book):  James Redpath (Boston)
   • Rewritten from letters she wrote while serving as a Civil War nurse.
   • Part reprinted as the short story, "The Death of John," in On Picket Duty, and Other Tales
   • Part reprinted as the short story, "Night Scene in a Hospital," in The Daily Morning Drum-Beat (a periodical)
   • A reprint of Hospital Sketches  is available for modern-day reading, in Elaine Showalter's Alternative Alcott .
   • Novel, Collection (of letters or short stories?), or Memoir?
5. The Inheritance.  (1997)
   • Published posthumously.
   • First Published By:  Dutton (New York)
   • Discovered and edited by Joel Myerson and Daniel Shealy.
   • Year(s) Written: 1849 (at age 17)
   • Her first novel.
6. Jack and Jill.  (1879-80)
   • Subtitle:  A Village Story.
   • Published serially from December 1879 to October 1880, and in book form in 1880.
   • Original Publisher (serial):  St. Nicholas  (children's magazine)
   • Original Publisher (book):  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
7. Jo's Boys, and How They Turned Out.  (1886)
   • Subtitle:  : A Sequel to "Little Men".
   • Sequel to Little Men
   • Published serially and in book form.
   • Original Publisher (serial):  St. Nicholas  (children's magazine)
   • Original Publisher (book):  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
   • Year(s) Written: 1882-1886
8. Little Men.  (1871)
   • Subtitle:  Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys.
   • Sequel to Little Women
   • First Published By:  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
9. Little Women, Part First.  (1868)
   • Alternate Title:  Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.
   • Volume One of Little Women
   • First Published By:  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
   • Written in Concord, at Orchard House.
10. Little Women, Part Second.  (1869)
    • Alternate Title:  Good Wives.
    • Alternate Title:  Little Women Wedded.
    • Volume Two of Little Women
    • First Published By:  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
    • Written in Boston.
11. A Long Fatal Love Chase.  (1995)
    • Original (pre-publication) Title:  A Modern Mephistopheles, or the Long Fatal Love Chase.
    • Published posthumously.
    • First Published By:  Random House (New York)
    • Discovered and edited by Kent Bicknell.
    • Authored under pseudonym, "A. M. Barnard" when submitted (and rejected) for publication in The Flag of Our Union  (a weekly), in 1866.
    • In 1876-77, she revised this rejected manuscript extensively to create a different story which became the successful anonymous novel, A Modern Mephistopheles.
12. A Modern Mephistopheles.  (1877)
    • Series: "No Name Series" -- no. 6  (anonymous books by popular authors)
    • First Published By:  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
    • Authored anonymously for publisher's series.
    • Year(s) Written: 1866, 1876-77
    • Reprinted with her name as the author in 1889, along with a reprint of her story, "A Whisper in the Dark".
    • Novelette.
13. Moods.  (1864)
    • Extensively revised and reissued in 1881/1882, with subtitle, "A Novel."
    • Original Publisher (1864 edition):  A. K. Loring (Boston)
    • Original Publisher (1881 edition):  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
    • Year(s) Written: 1860-1864, 1881
14. An Old-Fashioned Girl.  (1869-70)
    • Published serially first, from July to December 1869.
    • Expanded (added second half) for publication in book form, in 1870.
    • Original Publisher (serial):  Merry's Museum  (children's magazine)
    • Original Publisher (book):  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
15. Rose in Bloom.  (1876)
    • Subtitle:  A Sequel to "Eight Cousins".
    • Sequel to Eight Cousins
    • Published serially and in book form.
    • Original Publisher (serial):  St. Nicholas  (children's magazine)
    • Original Publisher (book):  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
16. A Tragedy of To-day.  (Unpublished)
    • Unfinished at time of death.
    • Year(s) Written: 1886-?
17. Under the Lilacs.  (1877-78)
    • Published serially from December 1877 to October 1878, and in book form in 1878.
    • Original Publisher (serial):  St. Nicholas  (children's magazine)
    • Original Publisher (book):  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
18. Work.  (1872-73)
    • Subtitle (book only):  A Story of Experience.
    • Alternate Title:  Christie's Experiment
    • Original Title (pre-publication):  Success.
    • Published serially from December 18, 1872 to June 18, 1873.
    • Published in book form in 1873.
    • Original Publisher (serial):  The Christian Union (magazine)
    • Original Publisher (book):  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
    • Year(s) Written: 1861-1873
    • An alternate version of one chapter in this book was originally published as an adult short story, titled "A Nurse's Story".
    • An autobiographical novel.

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