From a New Eden in Concord to Little Women: Unveiling the New Alcott Collections
The William Munroe Special Collections is proud to announce the acquisition of several significant letters by Louisa May Alcott and two remarkable collections that deepen our understanding of the Alcott family. These new materials are especially valuable for literary scholars and history enthusiasts, offering fresh insights into American literary history. The Concord Free Public Library's William Munroe Special Collections holds one of the most significant collections of Alcott manuscripts, correspondence, and related materials.
The William Munroe Special Collections is especially grateful to the Concord Free Public Library Corporation and its donors, the Munroe Society, dedicated to the preservation and advancement of Special Collections, and to Tim Mather for their extraordinary contributions to its holdings. We look forward to welcoming Kent Bicknell and Alcott scholar Daniel Shealy for a program (in person or via livestream) and exhibition of newly acquired Alcott material on March 28, 2026.
One of the first recent acquisitions is a letter by Louisa May Alcott to Thomas Niles of Roberts Brothers, circa 1868, containing editorial notes regarding the publication of Little Women. Another acquisition included three letters from Louisa May Alcott to Ellen Humphreys, in which she writes to her British friend about her deceased sister, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, who died shortly after giving birth to her child, Louisa May "Lulu" Nieriker. Another notable acquisition was a letter by Louisa May Alcott in which she comments on Little Women and her resemblance to Jo March: "'Jo' is not myself any more than the others are my sisters, only suggestions of the four real girls." Finally, in a letter soliciting a magazine contribution, Louisa May Alcott names her price: "I do not write anything for less than $100 & the length makes no difference."
Together, the letters offer rare and deeply personal insight into Alcott's creative life, her philosophy of writing for young readers, and her reflections on the characters who have shaped generations, while collectively enriching the understanding of Alcott's literary legacy and expanding research opportunities in the Library's Special Collections.
Then, in the fall of 2024, Special Collections purchased a significant Alcott Family Collection, assembled over decades by Kent Bicknell, a long-time Alcott enthusiast, collector, and founder of Sant Bani School in central New Hampshire. This collection is particularly strong in representing other members of the multitalented family, including several paintings and unpublished letters from the accomplished artist Abigail May Alcott Nieriker (May Alcott). It also includes a rare 1876 Russian edition of Little Women and the manuscript of "Mrs. Jarley's Waxworks" by Louisa May Alcott.
The acquisition of the Alcott Family Collection led directly to a major gift in 2025: the Mather Alcott Collection. While distinct in their ownership histories, both collections were assembled by Dr. Bicknell, who served as curator and advisor to the collection of Colorado entrepreneur Tim Mather. At Dr. Bicknell's recommendation, Mr. Mather agreed and donated his collection to the Concord Free Public Library's Special Collections, in honor of Sant Bani School, where it would "be treasured, enhance current holdings, stay together, and be available for all to access."
The Mather Alcott Collection includes letters from Louisa May Alcott to publisher Thomas Niles about the illustrations in the first edition of Little Women; an unpublished letter from 1841 by A. Bronson Alcott in which he writes, "Eden is being planted in New England as fabled Paradise of yore"—a reference to the Utopian community of Fruitlands, and the original manuscript for Louisa's gothic thriller, A Long Fatal Love Chase—not published until 1995 when it became a New York Times bestseller.
These extraordinary acquisitions build on the Library Corporation's long-standing commitment to the Library's William Munroe Special Collections, which collects and shares materials related to Concord's literary and historical heritage.