Little Lord Fauntleroy
In 1884, she began work on "Little Lord Fauntleroy", with the serialization beginning in 1885 in "St. Nicholas", and the publication in book form in 1886. "Little Lord Fauntleroy" received good reviews, became a best-seller in the United States, and England was translated into 12 languages and secured Burnett's reputation as a writer. The story features a boy who dresses in elaborate velvet suits and wears his long hair in curls. The central character, Cedric, was modeled on Burnett's younger son Vivian, and the autobiographical aspects of "Little Lord Fauntleroy" occasionally led to disparaging remarks from the press. After the publication of "Little Lord Fauntleroy", Burnett's reputation as a writer of children's books was fully established. In 1888 she won a lawsuit in England over the dramatic rights to "Little Lord Fauntleroy", establishing a precedent that was incorporated into British copyright law in 1911. In response to a second incident of pirating her material into a dramatic piece, she wrote "The Real Little Lord Fauntleroy", which was produced on stage in London and on Broadway. The play went on to make her as much money as the book.