First published in 1996. The first modern collection of its kind, this anthology includes unabridged essays written by 19th century Britain's' most eminent women intellectuals- the female counter-parts to the Victorian men of letters. Writing on topics ranging from animal rights and trade unions to aesthetic theory and literary criticism, the women whose rare and hard-to-find woks are presented in this anthology include Mary Russell Mitford, George Eliot, Lady Elizabeth Eastlake, Isabella Bird Bishop, Anne Thackerary Ritchie, Sarah Grand and others.