Little Women in Letters: Conversation with Barbara Heller, Editor of Little Women

If you’re anything like us, you’ve watched the Little Women film adaptations looking for the props and pieces that really bring the book to life–the vivid renderings of your own thoughtfully-imagined ephemera. 

Barbara Heller worked on movie set designs for feature films for many years, bringing all kinds of stories to life through location scouting and other roles. Then, she was rereading Pride and Prejudice when she had a sudden and visceral desire to hold characters' letters to each other in her own hands. She set out to find the right artists, paper, and materials to make that dream come true.

After the success of her edition of Pride and Prejudice, Barbara turned her focus to Little Women, another novel that uses letters within the story. Again, she worked with artists to bring these pieces of writing into removable replicas that are tucked into the book itself. The reader feels the thrill of unfolding a letter as if they are from real, dear friends.

In this episode, Barbara discusses the research, process, and design behind these familiar letters, now turned into beloved works of art.

Barbara Heller's career in film and television encompasses finding furnishings and props for many shows including The Americans and When They See Us; location managing films for Francis Coppola, Nancy Meyers, and Barbet Schroeder; and directing award-winning short films that have played at festivals around the world (Cannes, Berlin, Sundance). To satisfy her curiosity, she reported on why hotels fold the end of the toilet paper into a point for NPR. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in English Literature and lives with her son in New York City. 

See the book and purchase your own copy at https://www.barbaraheller.org/little-women or at your local bookstore.