Little Lord Fauntleroy: The Book


Figure 1.--This is the cover of the first edition of Mrs. Burnett's "Little Lord Fauntleroy," the book that would influence boys' clothing and hair stles for a generation.

Little Lord Fauntleroy is Mrs. Burnett's best known book. The story was first published in serial form in the St. Nichols Magazine during 1885. It was an immediate success. It was first published during 1886 in book form. An English edition soon followed. Publication of the book led to stage and after the turn of the century movie productions. The book has since been translated into many languages. Editions have continued to appear into our modern day.

Little Lord Fauntleroy has since 1886 been published in inumerable English as well as many foreign-language edditions. There is no difference in the English language text, except for some abridged editions for younger children. The only important difference in the various editions are the illustrations, although the jackets and book covers are different.

Known editions of Little Lord Fauntleroy include:

Little Lord Fauntleroy: First edition, 1886 (Birch illustrations)

Der kleine Lord, Loewe, 1907. (Plonck illustrations)

Little Lord Fauntleroy Warne, 1925 (C.E. Brock illustrations)

Un Piccolo Lord, Florence, Salani, 1935. (Micheli illustrations)

Le Petit Lord Fountleroy, Nelson, 1938. (Bloch illustrations)

Il Piccolo Lord, Florence, Marzocco, 1940. (Fabbi illustrations)

  • Little Lord Fauntleroy: The U.S. company Scribner publihed an edtion of Little Lord Fauntlroy with a charming cover in 1955. I'm not sure at this time what drawings they used in the edition.
    Little Lord Fauntleroy, Glasgow, Collins-Lions, 1974. (No illustrations, the editor complaining that the original Birch illustrations were misleading.)

    Mały lord Klasyka Dziecięca, 1998 (Pasierska illustrations)

    Il piccolo Lord, Turin, Utet, no publication date. (Terzi illustrations)



    Figure 2.--This paperback edition appeared with a TV production Little Lord Fauntleroy.

    Illustrations

    The only major differences in the various editions of Little Lord Fauntleroy has been the illustratiins. The first edition of Mrs. Burnett's book was illustrated by Reginald Birch and it is his drawings that are most associated with the book. A large number of illustrators from many different countries, however have also illustrated the various editions. The book appears to have been especially popular in Italy. Art work for the many editions has been executed by noted illustrators from every major European country, including: Birch (American, 1886), Block (English, 1925), Bloch (French, 1938), Fabbi (Italian, 1940), Micheli (Italian, 1935), Pasierska (Polish, 1998), Plonck (German, 1907), and Terzi (Italian, undated).






    Christopher Wagner




    Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web Site:
    [Return to the Main Fautleroy page]
    [Return to the Main Fauntleroy book page]
    [Introduction] [Activities] [Bibliographies] [Biographies] [Chronologies] [Countries] [Contributions] [Frequently Asked Questions] [Photography] [Style Index]
    [Boys' Clothing Home]



    Created: April 14, 2000
    Last updated: Junr 2, 2000