Making of a Marchioness

"Little Lord Fauntleroy" and "The Secret Garden" are bestsellers, but the lesser-known adult novel "The Making of a Marchioness" remains a much-loved favorite among many. Unjustly out of print for years, this neglected classic deserves its place alongside "Pride and Prejudice" and "Jane Eyre." Part one, the original "Marchioness," is in the "Cinderella" tradition, while part two, called "The Methods of Lady Walderhurst," is an absorbing melodrama--a realistic commentary on late-Victorian marriage. Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) grew up in Manchester. In 1886, "Little Lord Fauntleroy" was a huge popular success; from then on Burnett wrote for both children and adults.