Little Lord Fauntleroy

Credits and rights

Original writer

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Publisher of this edition

BoingyBooks Classics

Original publisher

Project Gutenberg

Adaptation credits

John Shoufler / BoingyBooks Classics — digital edition

Original source / edition

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886)

License

Public Domain

License link

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

Rights and adaptation notice

This work is in the public domain. John Shoufler published this digital edition through BoingyBooks Classics. The original work remains public domain and may be copied, adapted, and shared.

Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1886)

A poor American boy discovers he is heir to an English earldom. His innocent goodness transforms his crusty grandfather and everyone he meets. The novel that made Burnett famous and launched a fashion craze.

Historical Significance:
Serialized in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1885-86, Little Lord Fauntleroy was the bestselling children's novel of the decade and one of the bestselling books of the entire 19th century. It sparked the "Fauntleroy suit" fashion craze — velvet suits with lace collars that mothers forced on reluctant boys for a generation. The novel made Burnett wealthy and internationally famous. It was adapted into a hit play and three films. While its sentimentality fell out of fashion in the 20th century, it remains a fascinating artifact of Victorian idealism and the belief that a child's innocence could redeem the world.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1886. Free to read and share.