Frances Hodgson Burnett biography

Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in Cheetham Hill, Manchester on 24th November 1849. Burnett’s father died when she was five, so her mother was left to raise her and her four siblings alone. The family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1865 – two years later, her mother passed away, leaving Burnett to care for two younger siblings by herself.

Writing was the only way she could support them all, and she began in earnest, submitting stories to magazines and literary publications, and earning modest sums in return. Her first novel was published in 1877, That Lass O’ Lowrie’s. Her most famous novels are the children’s books Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1909).

She married twice: first when she was twenty-four, to Dr. Swan Burnett, and second, when she was fifty-one, to Stephen Townsend. She had two sons, Lionel and Vivian, the latter whose hairstyle was the inspiration for Little Lord Fauntleroy’s long curls. Lionel died of consumption when he was just sixteen, and Burnett never truly recovered from his death, falling into a depression that was to plague her for the rest of her life.

Burnett died on October 29th, 1924, at the age of seventy-four, and is buried in Roslyn cemetery in New York.

Frances Hodgson Burnett books

• "Hearts and Diamond's" Godey's Lady's Book (U.S.A.) 1868
• "Miss Carruther's Engagement" Godey's Lady's Book (U.S.A.) 1868
• "Surly Tim, and other Stories" Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1872
• "One Quiet Episode" Harper's (U.S.A.) 1872
• "One Day At Arle" Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1872
• "The Woman who Saved Me" Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1873
• Dorothea (later Dolly; Vagabondia) Peterson's Magazine (U.S.A.) 1873
• "Nobody but Jane Rossiter" Harper's (U.S.A.) 1875
• That Lass o'Lowries Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1876
• "Notwithstanding" Harper's (U.S.A.) 1877
• Theo Peterson's Magazine (U.K..) 1877
• Esmerelda Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1877
• Mere Giraud's Little Daughter Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1877
• Le Monsieur de la Petite Dame Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1877
• Smethhurstes Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1877
• Ladusky Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1877
• Kathleen G. Routledge & Sons (London) 1878
• Lindsay's Luck Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1878
• Miss Crespigny G. Routledge & Sons (London) 1878
• Our Neighbour Opposite G. Routledge & Sons (London) 1878
• Pretty Polly Pemberton G. Routledge & Sons (London) 1878
• Haworth's Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1879
• Jarl's Daughter and other Stories T. B. Peterson (U.S.A.) 1879
• Natalie, and other Stories F. Warne & Co. (London) 1879
• The Tide on the Morning Bar, and A Quiet Life G. Routledge & Sons (London) 1879
• Louisiana Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1880
• The Plain Miss Burnie Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (U.S.A.) 1880
• A Fair Barbarian F. Warne & Co. (London) 1881
• Through One Administration The Century (U.S.A.) 1881
• Esmerelda (performed at the Madison Square Theatre, New York) - 1881
• Behind the White Brick St. Nicholas Magazine (U.S.A.) 1881
• The Proud Little Grain of Wheat St. Nicholas Magazine (U.S.A.) 1881
• "Editha's Burglar" St. Nicholas Magazine (U.S.A.) 1881
• Little Lord Fauntleroy St. Nicholas Magazine (U.S.A.) 1885
• Great Love and I (verse) Century Magazine (U.S.A.) 1886
• Point d'Alencon (verse) Century Magazine (U.S.A.) 1887
• "Sara Crewe"; or, "What Happened at Miss Minchin's" St. Nicholas Magazine (U.S.A.) 1887
• A Woman's Will; or, Miss Defarge F. Warne & Co. (London) 1887
• The Real Little Lord Fauntleroy (performed at Terry's Theatre, London) - 1888
• The Fortunes of Philappa Fairfax F. Warne & Co. (London) 1888
• Phyllis (performed at the Globe Theatre, London) - 1889
• The Pretty Sister of Jose Spenser Blackett (London) 1889
• "The Drury Boy's Club" (article) Scribner's (U.S.A.) 1889
• Little Saint Elizabeth, and other Stories F. Warne & Co. (London) 1890
• Twentieth Thousand F. Warne & Co. (London) 1890
• Nixie (performed in London; from "Editha's Burglar") - 1890
• The Showman's Daughter (performed at the Royalty Theatre, London) - 1891
• Giovanni and the Other (U.S.A.); Children I Have Known (England) 1892
• The One I Knew the Best of All (autobiography) F. Warne & Co. (London) 1893
• The Captain's Youngest, and Other Stories (including "How Fauntleroy Began") F. Warne & Co. (London) 1894
• Piccino and other Child Stories 1894
• The Two Little Pilgrims' Progress F. Warne & Co. (London) 1895
• A Lady of Quality F. Warne & Co. (London) 1896
• The First Gentleman of Europe(in collaboration with Constance Fletcher) (performed at the Lyceum Theatre, London, but previously in U.S.A.) - 1897
• A Lady of Quality (performed at the Opera House, Detroit, U.S.A.) - 1897
• His Grace of Osmonde F. Warne & Co. (London) 1897
• In Connection with the De Willoughby Claim F. Warne & Co. (London) 1899
• The Making of a Marchioness Smith, Elder & Co. (London) 1901 The Methods of Lady Walderhurst 1901
• The Little Princess (performed at the Criterion Theatre, New York) - 1903
• The Pretty Sister of Jose (performed at the Empire Theatre, New York) - 1903
• The Men and I (performed at the Savoy Theatre, New York) (dramatization of "The De Willoughby Claim") - 1904
• In the Closed Room Hodder & Stoughton (London) 1904
• The Dawn of a Tomorrow Scribner's (U.S.A.)1905
• A Little Princess F. Warne & Co. (London) 1905
• The Shuttle 1906
• Racketty-Packetty House F. Warne & Co. (London) 1906
• The Trouble of Queen Silber-Bell F. Warne & Co. (London) 1907
• The Spring Cleaning Century Co. (U.S.A.) 1908
• The Dawn of a Tomorrow (performed at the Lyceum Theatre, New York) - 1909
• The Land of the Blue Flower ? 1909
• The Good Wolf 1909
• Barty Crusoe 1909
• The Secret Garden 1910
• Racketty-Packetty House (performed at the Children's Theatre, New York) - 1912
• My Robin F. A. Stokes, Co. (U.S.A.) 1912
• The First Knife in the World St. Nicholas Magazine (U.S.A.) 1912
• T. Tembaron Hodder & Stoughton (London) 1913 The Lost Prince St. Nicholas Magazine (U.S.A.) 1914
• The Little Hunchback Zia Hodder & Stoughton (London) 1915
• Crinoline and Blue Serge" (article) 1920
• The White People Heinemann (London) 1920
• The Head of the House of Combe Heinemann (London) 1922
• Robin Heinemann (London) 1922

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The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
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