LOUSIA MAY ALCOTT was born in Pennsylvania, in 1832, the second of four daughters. After a period of serving as an army nurse, she published HOSPITAL SKETCHES in 1863, followed by Gothic Romances and lurid thrillers. In 1868-9 she published LITTLE WOMEN, which proved so popular that it was followed by two sequels and several other novels. She died in 1888.
The American female myth. Madelon Bedell