PUBLISHERS AND PRINTERS

Little Women was published in 1868 by Roberts Brothers publishing firm, which was located in Boston, Massachusetts. Roberts Brothers Publishing was one of the leading literary publishing firms in Boston from 1863-1898 (Charvat). Roberts Brothers Publishing initially started out in bookbinding in 1849. However the company failed in 1859 and was sold. Lewis Augustine Roberts established Roberts Brothers as a publishing firm in 1861 which specialized in photograph albums. In 1864, the firm established the name “Publishers and Booksellers and Manufacturers of Photograph Albums. “ Robert Brothers Publishing specialized in the publishing of poetry, translations of French literature, biographies, and of course books by, for and about women. Many well renowned authors published under Roberts Brothers, including Emily Dickinson, Edward Everett Hale, George Meredith, R.L. Stevenson, and Helen Hunt Jackson (Myerson). Roberts Brothers were also responsible for introducing authors such as Oscar Wilde, Honoré de Balzac, and Christina Rosetti to the American public. Roberts Brothers lasted 35 years in the publishing industry, publishing many literary works. In 1898, the firm was absorbed by Little, Brown and Company (Winger).


Much of the success of the Roberts Brothers publishing firm was in correlation to Thomas Nile. He previously worked at the Old Corner Bookstore. While working there he made the acquaintance of several prominent figures in the writing and publishing world. Nile joined the firm in 1863 (Myerson). The beginning of the company’s success came in 1863, when Nile obtained the rights to the poems by the English poetess, Jean Ingelow, which turned out to be quite profitable for the firm (Winger). By 1872 he was made a partner in the firm (Myerson). It has been said that Nile was known as the “publishing genius” of the firm and that he was the “only Boston publisher who knew how to treat a lady (Winger).” Nile was a very important link in the chain of success for Roberts Brothers publishing. The firm only lasted four more years after Nile’s death when it was absorbed by Little, Brown and Company.


Thomas Nile was the man who asked Louisa May Alcott to write a book for women. Alcott and Nile created quite the professional relationship. It has been said that “Louisa May Alcott went from rags to riches” at the hands of Thomas Nile (Winger). When the book was in it beginning phase, Nile was the person who suggested the title, Little Women, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy: the Story of Their Lives. Eventually the title became Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy in 1868 when the book was publish (Myerson).


The professional relationship between Louisa May Alcott and Roberts Brothers Publishing was “one of the most mutually profitable relationships in the nineteenth century.” The relationship lasted a total of 20 years when Alcott died in 1888. A total of 11 novel and 14 volumes of short stories were produced by Alcott under Roberts Brothers Publishing (Myerson). These works include Little Women, An Old Fashioned Girl, Jo’s Boys, and Little Men.
The presswork for Little Women was done by a printing company called John Wilson & Son. John Wilson & Son was created by John Wilson in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wilson was a printer, born in Glasgow Scotland, in 1802. He was a printer apprentice who moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1846. The book was stereotyped by Innes & Regan.



The image above is the mark of Roberts Brothers Publications. This image was not found on the book being studied due to the fact that it was not developed until 1869.