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The Secret Garden / A Little Princess / Little Lord Fauntleroy
“Everything ’s a story. You are a story—I am a story.” From the people and places around her, Frances Hodgson Burnett, who moved to America from England at age fifteen, found stories enough for over forty novels and plays—including the three still-beloved classics of children’s literature presented in this Library of America volume. Restoring the novels to their original, unabridged American texts, this authoritative edition features over forty illustrations carefully reproduced from the first editions, twenty of them printed in full color.
In Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), seven-year-old Cedric Errol is growing up in New York City with his young widowed mother when he unexpectedly learns that the grandfather he has never met is an English earl. The Earl wants to give his grandson an education in power and privilege, but he does not suspect that the innocent little American may have more to teach.
Ten-year-old Sara Crewe in A Little Princess (1905) is sent by her father to a London boarding school, whose headmistress grudgingly favors the little girl while secretly loathing her intelligence and independence. When Sara’s once-wealthy father dies penniless, the headmistress’s behavior changes immediately. Sara goes from star pupil to hungry maid in the attic, but she remains cheerful by imagining that she is secretly a princess.
And in The Secret Garden (1911), Mary Lennox is a spoiled child who is sent to her neglectful uncle’s manor in Yorkshire, England, after her parents’ deaths, where she discovers an abandoned walled garden. Mary becomes fascinated by the prospect of restoring the garden—and in the process stumbles upon the house’s other secret, which changes both her and her uncle’s lives for the better.
The volume includes all the original illustrations by Reginald B. Birch, Ethel Franklin Betts, and Maria Louise Kirk, as well as three rare stories in which the author describes the inspirations behind the books: “How Fauntleroy Occurred, and a Very Real Boy Became an Ideal One,” a memoir of Burnett’s son, Vivian, the author’s inspiration for Fauntleroy; “Sara Crewe, or What Happened at Miss Minchin’s,” the short story that was the basis for the stage play and novel A Little Princess; and “My Robin,” Burnett’s memoir of an English robin that inspired the “robin” episodes of The Secret Garden.
In Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), seven-year-old Cedric Errol is growing up in New York City with his young widowed mother when he unexpectedly learns that the grandfather he has never met is an English earl. The Earl wants to give his grandson an education in power and privilege, but he does not suspect that the innocent little American may have more to teach.
Ten-year-old Sara Crewe in A Little Princess (1905) is sent by her father to a London boarding school, whose headmistress grudgingly favors the little girl while secretly loathing her intelligence and independence. When Sara’s once-wealthy father dies penniless, the headmistress’s behavior changes immediately. Sara goes from star pupil to hungry maid in the attic, but she remains cheerful by imagining that she is secretly a princess.
And in The Secret Garden (1911), Mary Lennox is a spoiled child who is sent to her neglectful uncle’s manor in Yorkshire, England, after her parents’ deaths, where she discovers an abandoned walled garden. Mary becomes fascinated by the prospect of restoring the garden—and in the process stumbles upon the house’s other secret, which changes both her and her uncle’s lives for the better.
The volume includes all the original illustrations by Reginald B. Birch, Ethel Franklin Betts, and Maria Louise Kirk, as well as three rare stories in which the author describes the inspirations behind the books: “How Fauntleroy Occurred, and a Very Real Boy Became an Ideal One,” a memoir of Burnett’s son, Vivian, the author’s inspiration for Fauntleroy; “Sara Crewe, or What Happened at Miss Minchin’s,” the short story that was the basis for the stage play and novel A Little Princess; and “My Robin,” Burnett’s memoir of an English robin that inspired the “robin” episodes of The Secret Garden.
762 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1978
138 people are currently reading
1230 people want to read
About the author
Frances Hodgson Burnett
1,753 books4,910 followersFrances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 14, 2020
I can't figure out how the nerdy, book-obsessed child that I was managed to miss these three books. Despite being probably 40 years past the target audience age, this was my experience reading them as a nerdy, book-obsessed adult:
The Secret Garden: “OMG, that was the best book EVER!!!”
A Little Princess: “Wait, maybe THIS was the best book ever!!! And the ending was so different from the Shirley Temple movie!! But both were great!!”
Little Lord Fauntleroy: “Holy Cow, I can't decide if may this was the best one of ALL of them! I don't know, because they were all so sweet and wonderful!!”
To sum up, all three of these made me so happy.
The Secret Garden: “OMG, that was the best book EVER!!!”
A Little Princess: “Wait, maybe THIS was the best book ever!!! And the ending was so different from the Shirley Temple movie!! But both were great!!”
Little Lord Fauntleroy: “Holy Cow, I can't decide if may this was the best one of ALL of them! I don't know, because they were all so sweet and wonderful!!”
To sum up, all three of these made me so happy.
September 26, 2015
Yes. I know these are Children's books. Yes. I know I am nearly 62 years old! And YES! I thoroughly enjoyed these books! I had never read any of them before but had seen the movies of the Little Princess and The Secret Garden. Actually when I was reading the Little Princess, I could almost hear Shirley Temple saying some of the lines! The ending of the Little Princess was not at all like the ending to the movie. No surprise there! Both books were, of course, better than the movies. I have heard of Little Lord Fauntleroy all my life, but was totally unfamiliar with the story. It is the story of a little boy, Cedric, who was to inherit his grandfather's fortune in England. But he had to leave New York and live in the castle with his grandfather. However, his mother was not invited! She was invited to live in a house nearby and could be visited by her son so they weren't totally separated. I loved the story. It was charmingly told and I highly recommend any of these books by Frances Hodgson Burnett. She is a captivating storyteller. These three books are available on Amazon in one free download. Makes them even better!
November 16, 2009
I read Little Lord Fauntleory, and it was perfect! It captures the beauty of childhood and the innocence of children. I loved the wording, the character, and how it inspired me to become a better mother.
My sister just finished reading Secret Garden to her 5-year-old today. They read for 3 hours straight! They loved it, and I look forward to reading all of these books aloud to my children.
My sister just finished reading Secret Garden to her 5-year-old today. They read for 3 hours straight! They loved it, and I look forward to reading all of these books aloud to my children.
April 28, 2019
Wonderful old classics that are still as great and as charming as the first time I read them as a child!
I have always loved The Secret Garden and The Little Princess since I read them so many years ago. I had never gotten around to reading Little Lord Flountleroy, but I am glad I finally had the opportunity! It is a wonderful book no matter if you are a child of a senior citizen!
I have always loved The Secret Garden and The Little Princess since I read them so many years ago. I had never gotten around to reading Little Lord Flountleroy, but I am glad I finally had the opportunity! It is a wonderful book no matter if you are a child of a senior citizen!
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January 30, 2011I've never read Little Lord Fauntleroy,but I love the other two stories.
December 14, 2021
Read The Little Princess so far. Having read a good bit of 19th century women’s novels (like the bestselling, now forgotten The Lamplighter), this book’s sentimentality and reliance on coincidence didn’t really phase me. The heroine’s downturn could have been darker, admittedly. Unlike many novels of its time and ilk, LP doesn’t invoke religion in its heroine’s trials or quest to be good, which I appreciated. A smash hit in its time, and Burnett is skilled at what she does. Appreciated it mostly for historic interest and, yes, a little bit of camp sensibility (which makes the treacle more survivable sometimes). If you’re looking for an adult version of the young, sometimes orphaned heroine 19th century novel, I’d recommend EDEN Southworth’s The Hidden Hand (which is more irreverent and addictive), Cummins’ The Lamplighter (which though schmaltzy is well plotted and engaging), or Teh Wide Wide World (author deserts me right now—this is longer, a bit more dour, and at times tiresomely earnest…but a huge bestseller also).
March 19, 2024
Since these are very old storys beware of racism and classism.
The storys have a very fascinating and strange kind of charme. There is not a lot happening at times yet it keeps one wanting to know more.
A lot of slang and dialects which make for a difficult read at times. Especially if english is not ones mothertounge.
The storys have a very fascinating and strange kind of charme. There is not a lot happening at times yet it keeps one wanting to know more.
A lot of slang and dialects which make for a difficult read at times. Especially if english is not ones mothertounge.
March 29, 2019
My ratings
I really liked how this book had a lot of detail especially the little Lord faunteroy it really inspired me I loved the way it has good
Pictures to go along with the story I loved all of these stories very much I hope I can read them again sometime
I really liked how this book had a lot of detail especially the little Lord faunteroy it really inspired me I loved the way it has good
Pictures to go along with the story I loved all of these stories very much I hope I can read them again sometime
March 31, 2019
A must-read for children of all ages
I enjoy this better than The Secret Garden. It is a simple, entertaining story that shares positive values. This is the tenth or so time I have read it - it never gets old!
I enjoy this better than The Secret Garden. It is a simple, entertaining story that shares positive values. This is the tenth or so time I have read it - it never gets old!
Read
February 28, 2020Fiction B964a 2019
April 12, 2020
So much love and kindness in one book... What else to say?
Thank you, thank you my Dear friend for recommending this book
Thank you, thank you my Dear friend for recommending this book
December 20, 2020
Love this collection!! The books are so clean and wholesome.
January 11, 2022
Beautiful stories
March 27, 2023
First I read A Little Princess, then The Secret Garden, then Little Lord Fauntleroy. I love these books!
March 26, 2022
i like this book , the english are very easy (the secret garden)
June 9, 2011
Cerita tentang Mary, anak dari India yang ditinggal mati orangtuanya. Mukanya murung dan anaknya jelek. Ia dibawa ke London, ke rumah pamannya yang sudah ditinggal mati istrinya. Pamannya bungkuk, istrinya meninggal karena jatuh dari dahan pohon di taman kesukaannya, sejak saat itu taman itu dikunci dan kuncinya dikubur. Sudah 10 tahun berlalu.
Mary yang tinggal berkecukupan di sana, tapi kesepian, berjalan2 di sekeliling taman. Sampai berkenalan dengan tukang kebun bernama Ben, dan burung berdada merah robin. Burung robin menunjukkan kunci taman itu. Dan sejak saat itu, taman yang 10 tahun terkunci dan hampir mati, dihidupkan kembali oleh Mary.
Mary yang galak dan kasar berubah jadi menyenangkan dan makin gemuk karena nafsu makannya bertambah seiring kelelahannya berkebun. Ia juga berteman dengan Dickon, seorang anak laki-laki yang amat mengerti dunia hewan.
Sementara itu beberapa malam Mary mendengar suara jeritan dan tangisan. Akhirnya di kali ketiga, ia menyambangi asal suara. Dan ternyata dia adalah sepupunya, Colin! Anak dari pamannya, Craven, pemilik rumah tua itu. Colin sakit, tepatnya merasa dirinya sakit dan akan mati. Dia takut seperti ayahnya, bungkuk. Dan ayahnya juga tidak akrab dengannya, karena matanya begitu mirip ibunya. Ia seumur hidup berada di kamar. Kadang mengamuk, dan kemauannya harus dituruti.
Colin yang keras, bertemu dengan Mary yang sama-sama keras, malah menjadi teman baik. Mereka sering mengobrol. Mary sering bercerita tentang taman, Dickon, dan menyanyikan lagu india. Akhirnya Colin menjad bersemangat, ia ikut ke taman rahasia, dan berkata ia ingin hidup selamanya. Dari yang tadinya tidak bisa berjalan karena tidak pernah berjalan, Colin bisa melakukannya. Ia ingin menunjukkan bahwa sebenarnya ia sesehat anak laki-laki lainnya. Ia tidak akan mati!
Dan benar saja... ia sebenarnya sehat. Berada di udara padang moor setiap hari, membuatnya makin kuat. Dan ayahnya, begitu bahagia... sementara taman yang selama ini tertutup, sudah berubah cantik karena tangan2 Mary, Colin, dan Dickon.
Mary yang tinggal berkecukupan di sana, tapi kesepian, berjalan2 di sekeliling taman. Sampai berkenalan dengan tukang kebun bernama Ben, dan burung berdada merah robin. Burung robin menunjukkan kunci taman itu. Dan sejak saat itu, taman yang 10 tahun terkunci dan hampir mati, dihidupkan kembali oleh Mary.
Mary yang galak dan kasar berubah jadi menyenangkan dan makin gemuk karena nafsu makannya bertambah seiring kelelahannya berkebun. Ia juga berteman dengan Dickon, seorang anak laki-laki yang amat mengerti dunia hewan.
Sementara itu beberapa malam Mary mendengar suara jeritan dan tangisan. Akhirnya di kali ketiga, ia menyambangi asal suara. Dan ternyata dia adalah sepupunya, Colin! Anak dari pamannya, Craven, pemilik rumah tua itu. Colin sakit, tepatnya merasa dirinya sakit dan akan mati. Dia takut seperti ayahnya, bungkuk. Dan ayahnya juga tidak akrab dengannya, karena matanya begitu mirip ibunya. Ia seumur hidup berada di kamar. Kadang mengamuk, dan kemauannya harus dituruti.
Colin yang keras, bertemu dengan Mary yang sama-sama keras, malah menjadi teman baik. Mereka sering mengobrol. Mary sering bercerita tentang taman, Dickon, dan menyanyikan lagu india. Akhirnya Colin menjad bersemangat, ia ikut ke taman rahasia, dan berkata ia ingin hidup selamanya. Dari yang tadinya tidak bisa berjalan karena tidak pernah berjalan, Colin bisa melakukannya. Ia ingin menunjukkan bahwa sebenarnya ia sesehat anak laki-laki lainnya. Ia tidak akan mati!
Dan benar saja... ia sebenarnya sehat. Berada di udara padang moor setiap hari, membuatnya makin kuat. Dan ayahnya, begitu bahagia... sementara taman yang selama ini tertutup, sudah berubah cantik karena tangan2 Mary, Colin, dan Dickon.
December 7, 2012
This book was written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The purpose for him to write this is for little kids to waant to seek adventure, and have fun outdoors. The lesson i learned by reading this book is to go outside, have fun and meet new friends.
The styles of the book are monologue and dialogue. The author put in a lot of descriptions and a lot of talking to one another. There is also a lot of narration in this book where the narrator tells you exactly what is happening. Then the dialogue comes in with the people talking.
The book is about this little girl who was always sick. She was also the little girl that was a myth, nobody knew she existed. If they did know about her they had to lie and say she didn't exist. HEr parents and the rest of the villagers died so she was sent to her uncle's house there she was sent outside everyday and hunted for the secret garden. At the end of the book she found the garden and made it look nice again. She had spent everyday outside which made it so she wasn't always sick anymore. After she found the garden she spent everyday in it with her cousin. She got really close to her uncle too.
The styles of the book are monologue and dialogue. The author put in a lot of descriptions and a lot of talking to one another. There is also a lot of narration in this book where the narrator tells you exactly what is happening. Then the dialogue comes in with the people talking.
The book is about this little girl who was always sick. She was also the little girl that was a myth, nobody knew she existed. If they did know about her they had to lie and say she didn't exist. HEr parents and the rest of the villagers died so she was sent to her uncle's house there she was sent outside everyday and hunted for the secret garden. At the end of the book she found the garden and made it look nice again. She had spent everyday outside which made it so she wasn't always sick anymore. After she found the garden she spent everyday in it with her cousin. She got really close to her uncle too.
June 22, 2023
These three unrelated books are among the best-known books written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. They are easily among the 100 best novels for children. The unifying themes of the collection revolve around the heartbreak of loss, experiencing the trials consequent of that loss, and the ultimate gain that is the result of overcoming the vicissitudes of life. In all of the stories, adults play the deus ex machina which demonstrates the utter frailty and dependence that children have upon their parents and other responsible adults.
The novels are well-written, melodramas typical of the time-period (revolving around status and financial inequities). Burnett also wrote romances, so she was skilled at thoroughly plotting a story to its inevitable conclusion. Clearly, I consider Burnett's work worthy of being called classic, because these three individually fulfill my three criteria of longevity (the works are over 100 years old), paradigm altering, and exceptionalism. Let this serve as my #8 of 10 box sets for my 2023 reading goal.
The novels are well-written, melodramas typical of the time-period (revolving around status and financial inequities). Burnett also wrote romances, so she was skilled at thoroughly plotting a story to its inevitable conclusion. Clearly, I consider Burnett's work worthy of being called classic, because these three individually fulfill my three criteria of longevity (the works are over 100 years old), paradigm altering, and exceptionalism. Let this serve as my #8 of 10 box sets for my 2023 reading goal.
February 19, 2008
I loved The Little Princess and The Secret Garden when I was a young girl. I never read Little Lord Fauntleroy until I was an adult, but I enjoyed that book as well.
I liked reading about Sarah Crewe's remarkably mature attitude as she went from riches to rags and back again. She never mistreated others when she was rich, but she also didn't have as much of an opportunity to show true compassion for others until her riches were taken away. Then you see her true grit and watch as her character develops into a remarkably mature young woman who gives her 'last mite' to the poorest of poor to help alleviate their suffering.
I loved The Secret Garden - especially witnessing Mary's transformation from a spoiled brat into a young girl who learns to care for others. And just like Heidi, I love seeing how playing outside in the fresh air and eating real food can make a sickly child healthy.
I liked reading about Sarah Crewe's remarkably mature attitude as she went from riches to rags and back again. She never mistreated others when she was rich, but she also didn't have as much of an opportunity to show true compassion for others until her riches were taken away. Then you see her true grit and watch as her character develops into a remarkably mature young woman who gives her 'last mite' to the poorest of poor to help alleviate their suffering.
I loved The Secret Garden - especially witnessing Mary's transformation from a spoiled brat into a young girl who learns to care for others. And just like Heidi, I love seeing how playing outside in the fresh air and eating real food can make a sickly child healthy.
September 16, 2021
I have just finished "A Little Princess". This was the best paced of the three novels, and emotionally quite rich. The trials of the main character and the depiction of poverty and mistreatment are gripping and very sympathetic. The fact that British colonialism hovers over everything like an unpleasant London fog -- and is not questioned by the author the way class distinctions in England are -- complicates things.
January 30, 2010
All delightful and moving. A Little Princess will always be my favorite that Burnett has written. I read this last year with my girls and by the time we were finished it had captured the whole family. We all were brought to tears and one point..(including Kameron). :) Sarah Crewe became a hero in our home and someone to discuss emulating.
February 17, 2016
I almost can't list my favourite books from when I was little, but this collection of three stories would be among them. I've always loved A Little Princess the best, but the other two are not far behind.
I said it before in my Secret Garden review, but they are all three of them charming and pretty, and have (if you care about that sort of thing) a good moral embedded in them.
I said it before in my Secret Garden review, but they are all three of them charming and pretty, and have (if you care about that sort of thing) a good moral embedded in them.
October 4, 2014
Modern fairy tales
Having already read Fauntleroy, this comment applies only to The Hidden Garden and The Little Princess. These stories are essentially modern fairy tales: short and sweet and pleasant to read, but artificial characters and scenes.
Having already read Fauntleroy, this comment applies only to The Hidden Garden and The Little Princess. These stories are essentially modern fairy tales: short and sweet and pleasant to read, but artificial characters and scenes.
September 12, 2008
this is three books in one all three are great books
March 6, 2009
ive read them all. and they rock.
August 17, 2009
Okay so I have the book, But I really only read Little Princess so ya. I probably will read the whole thing just not now.
February 15, 2010
My 'stuck on a desert island' book.
March 20, 2010
The Secret Garden and Little Princess were my two favorite books as a kid. Wonderful reads!
February 22, 2011
I am re-reading this with Kendall.
September 15, 2011
We read all three of these stories as a family. We loved all of them!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews