Little Lord Fauntleroy is a novel by American (English-born) author Frances Hodgson Burnett, published in 1886. It was a commercial success for its author, set fashion trends and also set a precedent in copyright law in 1888 when its author won a lawsuit over the dramatic rights to the work.

The story concerns an American boy named Cedric, who at an early age finds that he is the sole heir to a British earldom and leaves New York to take up residence in his ancestral castle. His grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, intends to teach the boy to become an aristocrat, but Cedric inadvertently teaches his grandfather compassion and social justice.

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

• 1921 (starring Mary Pickford)
• 1936 (with a stellar cast including Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello Mickey Rooney and C. Aubrey Smith as the Earl of Dorincourt)
• 1976 (made for TV)
• 1980 (made for TV) starring Ricky Schroder, Connie Booth, Patrick Stewart and Sir Alec Guinness as the Earl
• 1995 ???

The term "Little Lord Fauntleroy" has come to mean a synonym for fop.

External links

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