Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an American writer, abolitionist, and early feminist. She was raised in a New England Transcendentalist household, and family friends included the writers Nathaniel West and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Her unusual upbringing with her three sisters was the basis for her most beloved books, the "March Family Saga" including Little Women (1868), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). The trilogy has been popular among both children and adult readers. Alcott also wrote sensational novels under the nom de plume A.M. Barnard, and numerous adult novels and short short story collections for children. Her work was among the first published in the United States that addressed issues of women's rights and feminism.