Little Women

Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel, with a foreword by National Book Award-winning author and musician Patti Smith, now part of the Penguin Vitae series.Louisa May Alcott's iconic novel-the beloved portrait of a nineteenth-century New England family in wartimeThe classic story of the March family, Little Women has been adored for generations. Now in a vibrant new deluxe edition with an introduction by Jane Smiley and a cover by Julie Doucet, the novel follows the lives of four sisters-tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy-as they come of age while their father is fighting in the Civil War. Since 1868, readers have rooted for Laurie in his pursuit of Jo's hand, cried over the family's tragedy, and dreamed of traveling through Europe with old Aunt March and Amy. In this simple, enthralling tale, Louisa May Alcott has created four of American literature's most beloved women.

“"Perhaps no other book provided a greater guide, as I set out on my youthful path, than Louisa May Alcott's most beloved novel, Little Women ." --From the Foreword by Patti Smith "I have always gravitated towards the cozy book, and nothing is cozier than Little Women . It was one of the books that fostered my love of America, very early on, and showed me what makes a great character, particularly in headstrong Jo." --Jane Green”

"Perhaps no other book provided a greater guide, as I set out on my youthful path, than Louisa May Alcott’s most beloved novel, Little Women."
—From the Foreword by Patti Smith

"I have always gravitated towards the cozy book, and nothing is cozier than Little Women. It was one of the books that fostered my love of America, very early on, and showed me what makes a great character, particularly in headstrong Jo."
—Jane Green

Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1832. She's the author of An Old- Fashioned Girl, Little Men, Eight Cousins , Rose in Bloom, Jo's Boys, Moods, and Work. An active participant in the women's suffrage and temperance movements during the last decade of her life, Alcott died in Boston in 1888.Patti Smith is a writer, performer, and visual artist. She gained recognition in the 1970s for her revolutionary merging of poetry and rock. She has released twelve albums, including Horses, which has been hailed as one of the top one hundred albums of all time by Rolling Stone. Her books include Year of the Monkey, M Train, Just Kids, winner of the National Book Award in 2010, Witt, Babel, Woolgathering, The Coral Sea, and Auguries of Innocence. In 2005, the French Ministry of Culture awarded Smith the title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, the highest honor given to an artist by the French Republic. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Smith resides in New York City.Anne Boyd Rioux is Professor of English at the University of New Orleans and the author/editor of several books, including Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy- The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters (Norton, 2018). The recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, one for public scholarship, she writes reviews and essays for general and academic audiences, specializing in women writers.

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