Description: The result of extensive archival investigation, this meticulously researched book collects and describes for the first time the extant literary manuscripts and letters of the celebrated Bluestocking writer and Evangelical philanthropist Hannah More (1745-1833). Participating in the ongoing recovery of eighteenth-century women writers, Nicholas D. Smith's survey is an indispensable reference work not only for More scholars but for those researching the careers of many of her contemporaries.
Review Quotes: '... a meticulously detailed and invaluable scholarly resource, whose breadth and scope will surely contribute to the growing reappraisal of More's career ... His text supplies a substantial platform for critical editions of her poems and letters ... The richness of [Smith's] documentation succeeds in releasing More into the broad context of her times. A salient feature of Smith's remarkably condensed account is its acute observations on More's career and temperament.' Notes and Queries '... a wonderful addition to textual scholarship and an important reference work for those interested in the writings of Hannah More and her circle.' Year's Work in English Studies '... this book is quite simply indispensable for future scholars of More and her circle.' Huntington Library Quarterly '... this well-researched and captivating book is a compelling example of the way in which meticulous and passionate archival investigation can rewardingly cross-fertilize more conventional 'literary' approaches to the works of authors participating in the still vibrant manuscript culture of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.' Modern Language Review