Alcott Collection

The Peabody Library has a unique exhibit case in the Fireside Reading Room. Bert Anderson Roller, a former Peabody College faculty member, collected memorabilia of Louisa May Alcott, one of the first authors to write novels for young readers. His daughter, Jane Roller Sights, is responsible for the generous permanent loan of the Louisa May Alcott Collection to the Peabody Library.

The exhibit includes some of the author's original handwritten notes and letters; an autographed first edition of Little Women; an original beam from Louisa May's room in the family's home (Orchard House) in Concord, Massachusetts; paper dolls, with which Louisa May and her sisters played; and a pincushion (designed as a bonnet) made by Louisa May Alcott in 1887 as a Christmas gift for a cousin.

If you're in the area, plan to stop by and see the exhibit for yourself! (Check our location and hours .)