Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886)

Author: Burnett, Frances Hodgson, 1849-1924; Birch, Reginald Bathurst, 1856-1943
Subject: Altruism; Conduct of life; Family; Grandparent and child
Publisher: London : Frederick Warne and Co.
Year: 1886
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: srlf_ucla:LAGE-783426
Digitizing sponsor: msn
Book contributor: University of California Libraries

Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English–American playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886. The accompanying illustrations by Reginald Birch set fashion trends and Little Lord Fauntleroy also set a precedent in copyright law when in 1888 its author won a lawsuit against E. V. Seebohm over the rights to theatrical adaptations of the work.

Cedric Errol is a poor American boy from New York City who at an early age finds that he is the sole heir to a wealthy British earldom. Cedric is now Lord Fauntleroy who someday will be the next Earl of Dorincourt. There, Cedric must join his grandfather, the Earl, in Dorincourt Castle. His American mother lives nearby, but the bitter, selfish old Earl must change before Cedric's mother is allowed to live with them at the Dorincourt estate. The old Earl is at first impressed by the appearance and intelligence of his young American grandson. Later, he states that he is gratified that Cedric, by befriending and caring for the poor and needy around him, will be a better earl than he was. A crisis shames the Earl into asking Cedric's mother to forgive him. With the help of Cedric's loyal American friends, the crisis is resolved. The Earl of Dorincourt intends to teach his grandson how to be an aristocrat. However, Cedric inadvertently teaches Grandfather that an aristocrat should practice compassion and social justice towards persons who are dependent on him. Through Cedric's belief in his grandfather's goodness and through his good example, the old Earl becomes the kind and good man Cedric always believed him to be.

There have been several movie versions of the book produced throughout the years:

• Little Lord Fauntleroy, a 1921 film starring Mary Pickford.
• Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), arguably the best-known adaptation, with a cast including Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello, C. Aubrey Smith as the Earl of Dorincourt, and Mickey Rooney
• 1976 (made for TV)
• 1980 (made for TV) starring Ricky Schroder, Connie Booth, Eric Porter and Sir Alec Guinness as the Earl. The film was shot at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire
• 1988 (Japanese anime featuring 43 episodes called "Shoukoushi Cedie")
• 1995 (TV miniseries starring Michael Benz and George Baker as the Lord
• 1996 Filipino version (starring Tom Taus as Cedie and Ronaldo Valdez as Earl of Dorincourt). It was inspired by the entry of the anime version Cedie, The Little Prince in the early 90's, which became a hit in the Philippines.
• 2003 (Radosti i pechali malen'kogo lorda, Russian version

References: Wikipedia

Download:

(24 MB) PDF
(9.6 MB) B/W PDF
(356 KB) Full Text
(7.3 MB) DjVu