"Louisa May Alcott's bewitching fantasies and fairy tales are now restored to her readers; Daniel Shealy's sensitive editing and lucid introduction enhance this valuable collection." —Sarah Elbert, SUNY Binghamton

"We are all in Shealy's debt for making available this large, previously unstudied corpus of Louisa May Alcott's writing. Alcott is here truly presented as 'the child's friend.'" —Joel Myerson, University of South Carolina

Louisa May Alcott is best known for her domestic novels, including her classic tale Little Women. However, Alcott was also a pioneered in American fantasy fiction, having written thirty-eight fairy tales and fantasy stories that span her entire writing career, from 1854–1888. This is the first single volume to include all of Alcott's fantasy tales, many of which have not been published since the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Daniel Shealy's critical and historical introduction places Alcott's fantasy work into the context of American fantasy literature and culture.

A product of the age of moral fiction, Alcott was greatly influenced in her writings by both the didactic adult fantasy novelists of her day and her father's strong moral teachings. Recognizing the need for children's fantasy literature that possessed storylines and characters capable of subtly conveying the advantages of moral behavior, Alcott began writing didactic tales that aimed to stimulate children's imaginations, give recognition to their problems, and offer solutions or suggestions that would make them better individuals in society.

While these stories can make no claim to being great art, they are an important segment of Alcott's canon. They demonstrate that, while she was exploring new territory with some of her work, she was also working within the existing tradition of the didactic fairy tale. Covering the entire span of her literary career, these tales, from her first book to her last, prove she never lost the love of the "fairy folk."