The Poems of Louisa May Alcott

Although remembered most fondly for Little Women, Alcott also penned detective stories, children's tales, and poetry. She wrote her first poem when she eight and, at 16, wrote a series of fairy stories for Emerson's daughter, Ellen. The poems in this collection range from her earliest song, "To the First Robin" ("Now the white snow melts away;/ Now the flowers blossom gay:/ Come dear bird and build your nest,/ For we love our robin best") to her paean to the "Mountain-Laurel" ("Each year I wait thy coming, dear,/ Each year I love thee more,/ For life grows hard, and much I need/ Thy honey for my store"). Also included are poems that reveal Alcott's deep engagement with the women's movement of her day--"A Wail Uttered in the Woman's Club"--and her involvement with Transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau. Alcott infuses her poetry with satire and irony as she discusses love and death, women and family, philosophers and social activists. While these poems reveal yet another side of Alcott, this book will appeal primarily to large libraries seeking a comprehensive collection of Alcott's writings.--Henry L. Carrigan Jr., formerly with Westerville P.L., OH Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\