Introduction -- Charlotte Turner Smith (1749-1806) -- Helen Maria Williams (1759-1827) -- Mary Robinson (1758-1800) -- Catherine Crowe (c. 1800-1876) -- Sara Coleridge (1802-1852) -- Dinah Mulock Craik (1826-1887) -- Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915) -- Afterword

Jane Austen and the Brontës endure as British literature's leading ladies, and for good reason, but were these reclusive parsons' daughters really the only writing women of their day? Shelley DeWees weaves history, biography, and critical analysis into a narrative of Great Britain's fabulous, yet mostly forgotten, female literary heritage. As the country, and women's roles within it, evolved, so did the publishing industry, driving legions of ladies to pick up their pens and hit the parchment. Focusing on the creative contributions and personal stories of seven women, among them pioneers of detective fiction and the modern fantasy novel, DeWees assembles a portrait of female life -- and the literary landscape -- during this era