Little Women a second volume (entitled Good Wives in the United Kingdom, although this name originated from the publisher and not from Alcott). It was also successful. The two volumes were issued in 1880 as a single novel entitled "Little Women". Alcott wrote two sequels to her popular work, both of which also featured the March sisters: "Little Men" (1871) and "Jo's Boys" (1886). Although "Little Women" was a novel for girls, it differed notably from the current writings for children, especially girls. The novel addressed three major themes: "domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to
Little Women and occasional hunger. In addition to her own childhood and that of her sisters, scholars who have examined the diaries of Louisa Alcott's mother, Abigail Alcott, have surmised that "Little Women" was also heavily inspired by Abigail Alcott's own early life. The first volume of "Little Women" was published in 1868 by Roberts Brothers. The first printing of 2,000 copies sold out quickly, and the company had trouble keeping up with demand for additional printings. They announced: "The great literary hit of the season is undoubtedly Miss Alcott's "Little Women", the orders for which continue to flow in upon us