Louisa May Alcott, author of the "Little Women" series, was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, on November 29, 1832, to Bronson and Abigail (Abba) May Alcott. In 1840, the Alcotts moved to Concord, Massachusetts, where their neighbors included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. During the short time the Alcotts lived in Concord, Louisa began to write dramas for her sisters to enact in the barn. The memories of these barnyard melodramas and other childhood experiences would later find their way into Louisa's books, especially "Little Women." In September 1851, Louisa's first poem, entitled "Sunlight," was published in Peterson's Magazine under the pseudonym of "Flora Fairfield." This was followed by several other "Flora Fairfield" compositions, including a book of fairy stories written for Emerson's daughter, Ellen. Louisa's first novel, "Moods," was begun in 1860-1861. In September of 1867, Thomas Niles of Roberts Brothers Publishing asked Louisa if she would write a children's book for him and, in May 1868, "Little Women" began to take shape. In this children's novel about the March family, Louisa encapsulated the Alcott home, presenting a cheerful account of her own early life in New England. The book gained instant recognition upon its publication in 1869. During the 1870s, Louisa published prolifically, completing at least one book per year. Toward the end of her life, Lousia constantly suffered from poor health, concentrating on rearing her niece, Louisa May ("Lulu") Nieriker, the daughter of her sister May and Ernest Nieriker. May had died in 1879 shortly after Lulu's birth. In June of 1887, Louisa began her last novel, "A Garland for Girls," which was published in November. In July of 1887, she wrote and signed her will. On March 6, 1887, Louisa May Alcott died in Boston, Massachusetts. She was fifty-six years old.