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Which author has had a book on the bestseller list for over 100 years after her death and has a crater on Venus named after her? Louisa May Alcott, one of the greatest female writers of the 19th century, was born on November 29th, 1832. She and her three sisters, Anna, Elizabeth, and May, were born in Germantown, Pennsylvania.
Writing was an early passion. Her stories often became melodramas that she and her sisters would act out for friends. Louisa always preferred to play the lurid parts in these plays—the villains, ghosts, bandits, and disdainful queens.
Louisa’s career as an author began with poetry and short stories that appeared in popular magazines. Her first book, Flower Fables, was published when she was 22. Louisa went on to publish over 30 books and collections of stories.
Her publisher asked her to write “a book for girls.” Set in Civil War New England, Little Women is decidedly her most famous work and chronicles Louisa and her sisters’ coming of age. Louisa May Alcott died in 1888.