Louisa May Alcott: 16 Novels in One Volume (Illustrated Edition). Луиза Мэй Олкотт

children, and may be enumerated as follows:–

      Novels (four volumes).–Work, Moods, A Modern Mephistopheles, Hospital Sketches.

      Little Women Series (eight volumes).–Little Women, An Old-Fashioned Girl, Little Men, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, Under the Lilacs, Jack and Jill, Jo's Boys.

      Spinning-Wheel Stories Series (four volumes).–Silver Pitchers, Proverb Stories, Spinning-Wheel Stories, A Garland for Girls.

      Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag (six volumes).–My Boys, Shawl-Straps, Cupid and Chow-Chow, My Girls, Jimmy's Cruise in the Pinafore, An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving.

      Lulu's Library (three volumes).

      Many of these stories were originally published in various magazines,–the popular "St Nicholas," for which Miss Alcott wrote some of her best things in her later years, the "Youth's Companion," and others. Her works have been republished in England; and through her English publishers, Messrs. Sampson Low and Company, of London, she has reaped the benefit of copyright there, and they have been translated into many languages. Her name is familiar and dear to the children of Europe, and they still read her books with the same eagerness as the children of her own land.

      This extract from a letter written by the translator of Miss Alcott's books into Dutch will show how she is esteemed in Holland:–

      "Miss Alcott was and is so much beloved here by her books, that you could scarce find a girl that had not read one or more of them. Last autumn I gave a translation of 'Lulu's Library' that appeared in November, 1887; the year before, a collection of tales and Christmas stories that appeared under the name of 'Gandsbloempje' ('Dandelion'). Yesterday a young niece of mine was here, and said, 'Oh, Aunt, how I enjoyed those stories! but the former of "Meh Meh" I still preferred.' A friend wrote: 'My children are confined to the sickroom, but find comfort in Alcott's "Under the Lilacs."' Her fame here was chiefly caused by her 'Little Women' and 'Little Women Wedded,' which in Dutch were called 'Under Moedervleugels' ('Under Mother's Wings') and 'Op Eigen Wieken' ('With Their Own Wings'). Her 'Work' was translated as 'De Hand van den Ploey' ('The Hand on the Plough')."

      How enduring the fame of Louisa M. Alcott will be, time only can show; but if to endear oneself to two generations of children, and to mould their minds by wise counsel in attractive form entitle an author to the lasting gratitude of her country, that praise and reward belong to Louisa May Alcott.

      TERMINUS.

      It is time to be old,

       To take in sail:

       The god of bounds,

       Who sets to seas a shore,

       Came to me in his fatal rounds,

       And said, "No more!

       No farther shoot

       Thy broad ambitious branches, and thy root;

       Fancy departs: no more invent,

       Contract thy firmament

       To compass of a tent.

       There's not enough for this and that,

       Make thy option which of two;

       Economize the failing river,

       Not the less revere the Giver;

       Leave the many, and hold the few.

       Timely wise, accept the terms;

       Soften the fall with wary foot;

       A little while

       Still plan and smile. And, fault of novel germs,

       Mature the unfallen fruit."

      As the bird trims her to the gale,

       I trim myself to the storm of time;

       I man the rudder, reef the sail,

       Obey the voice at eve obeyed at prime:

       Lowly faithful, banish fear,

       Right onward drive unharmed;

       The port, well worth the cruise, is near,

       And every wave is charmed.

      Emerson.

       Novels:

       Table of Contents

Little Women

       Table of Contents

       PART FIRST.

       CHAPTER I.— PLAYING PILGRIMS

       CHAPTER II.— A MERRY CHRISTMAS

       CHAPTER III.— THE LAURENCE BOY

       CHAPTER IV.— BURDENS

       CHAPTER V.— BEING NEIGHBORLY

       CHAPTER VI.— BETH FINDS THE PALACE BEAUTIFUL

       CHAPTER VII.— AMY'S VALLEY OF HUMILIATION

       CHAPTER VIII.— JO MEETS APOLLYON

       CHAPTER IX.— MEG GOES TO VANITY FAIR

       CHAPTER X.— THE P. C. AND P. O

       CHAPTER XI.— EXPERIMENTS

       CHAPTER XII.— CAMP LAURENCE

       CHAPTER XIII.— CASTLES IN THE AIR

       CHAPTER XIV.— SECRETS

       CHAPTER XV.— A TELEGRAM

       CHAPTER XVI.— LETTERS

       CHAPTER XVII.— LITTLE FAITHFUL

       CHAPTER XVIII.— DARK DAYS

       CHAPTER XIX.— AMY'S WILL

       CHAPTER XX.— CONFIDENTIAL

       CHAPTER XXI.— LAURIE MAKES MISCHIEF, AND JO MAKES PEACE