Victorian Biography

The true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, this page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen—a Victoria for our times. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning portrait is a story of love and heartbreak...

Eminent Victorians, Lytton Strachey's wonderfully witty and Wildean quartet of biographies, stands out as one of the most radical and groundbreaking works of its genre. With relentless precision, Strachey explores the lives of four exemplars of the Victorian age: Cardinal Manning, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Arnold and General Gordon, irreverently bringing to light the flaws, strengths, ambitions and hypocrisies of these treasured legends.

“How did women in the past deal with their forbidden desires? In Her Most Secret Affair, Jesalin Creswell gives us an intimate look into the lives of two women and a historical brothel that brings them together—and leaves them forever changed.” “This is one of the best stories I've read in a very long time.” Miranda Dashwood was born wealthy, but now she struggles to survive. Her deceased father's gambling debts have crippled the household. With no skills and no experience, Miranda resigns herself to the world's oldest profession and loathes every moment of her new life... Until ...

THE LEGEND REEXAMINED – THE CRIME THAT SHOCKED A NATION RETURNS TO THE STAND On the sweltering morning of August 4, 1892, a scream shattered the stillness of Fall River, Massachusetts. Within minutes, a quiet home on Second Street became the most infamous address in America. Inside lay Andrew and Abby Borden—bludgeoned, brutalized, and left to bleed on the polished floors of their own home. Standing in the doorway was their daughter, Lizzie Borden—calm, pale, and soon to be accused of the most sensational crime of the nineteenth century. Axed: The Untold Shocking True Story of Lizzie ...

Uncover the Hidden Truths of a Forgotten Era. Beneath the grandeur of the Victorian age lies a tapestry of stories rarely told—of queer lives erased, voices silenced, and rebels punished for stepping outside the bounds of respectability. The Lost Lives of the 19th Century invites readers into the shadows of history to rediscover figures who dared to live authentically, love defiantly, and resist quietly in a world that refused to see them. From the encoded diaries of Anne Lister to the trials of Stella and Fanny, this compelling work of narrative nonfiction restores dignity to lives ...

In The Butchering Art, the historian Lindsey Fitzharris reveals the shocking world of 19th-century surgery on the eve of profound transformation. She conjures up early operating theaters - no place for the squeamish - and surgeons, working before anesthesia, who were lauded for their speed and brute strength. They were baffled by the persistent infections that kept mortality rates stubbornly high. A young, melancholy Quaker surgeon named Joseph Lister would solve the deadly riddle and change the course of history.

From the author of American Eden—finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and more—comes a sweeping, richly researched biography of Frederic Church, the great 19th-century American artist whose stunning paintings of remote lands and seas thrilled American audiences and put...

The novel that invented suspense fiction — and that remains, a hundred and sixty years later, more structurally daring than most of the genre it created. This Erato Press critical edition reads The Woman in White as the serious, sophisticated, and morally disturbing novel it actually is, beneath the page-turner it also is. On a summer night in 1859, a young drawing-master walks across Hampstead Heath toward London. A hand touches his shoulder. He turns and finds himself facing a woman dressed entirely in white, trembling, desperate, asking for help. Within minutes she has vanished into a ...

The Brontë sisters have long been remembered as literary legends: three gifted women writing in isolation on the Yorkshire moors, surrounded by tragedy and myth. But behind that familiar image were three fiercely intelligent, determined, and ambitious writers who reshaped English literature forever. In this book, they're brought vividly back to life—not as distant icons, but as real women forged by grief, discipline, imagination, and extraordinary creative force. From the harsh realities of Haworth Parsonage to the publication of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell ...

The life of one of Western art's most admired and misunderstood painters J.M.W. Turner is one of the most important figures in Western art, and his visionary work paved the way for a revolution in landscape painting. Over the course of his lifetime, Turner strove to liberate painting from an...

The remarkable true story of one of Britain's best-loved novelists, narrated by Lucy Worsley 'This book is a delight . . . I will return to Austen's novels with a greater appreciation of the hardships and hopes of her heroines.' - LISTENER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I devoured this. Jane's story is...

“I really love Jesalin's style. Her writing captures the era's sense of propriety, and the way society bound women to their positions. But her writing is also modern and easy to read, so you don't get bogged down. I loved the leads and thought they were very compelling. It was a nice quick read, and made my day!" Vivian Hollingsworth is disillusioned about love. After losing her husband at just twenty-five, she grieved for almost two years, unable to let go of her sorrow. She knows she needs to become a part of the London's social scene once again, but she’s lost all hope of finding ...

The Definitive Biography of Oscar Wilde: Genius, Scandal, and Literary Immortality Oscar Wilde dominated Victorian London like no writer before or since. His plays revolutionized English theater. His fairy tales are still read to children worldwide. His novel The Picture of Dorian Gray remains a masterpiece of Gothic fiction. His wit was legendary, his conversation unmatched, his aesthetic philosophy influential across generations. Then Victorian England destroyed him through a prosecution that was meant to erase his name from cultural memory. It failed. This comprehensive biography follows...

Architects of the Nineteenth Century: Biographical Studies of the Figures Who Shaped Modern Culture, Politics, and Art BOOK THREE: Matthew Arnold Explained: Life, Poetry, Criticism, and the Making of Modern Culture is a comprehensive and deeply researched biography that explores the life, ideas, and lasting influence of one of the most important intellectual figures of the Victorian era. Written for thoughtful readers, students, and lovers of literary and cultural history, this book presents Matthew Arnold not only as a poet, but as a cultural critic, educational reformer, and moral thinker...

"As the depth of truth of one's life can only be penned upon the pages of a diary, Jane Digby leads us through her passionate life . . . A wonderful piece of historical fiction that will delight your senses as well as your heart." - Peggy Lee Sprague, Author of The Truth Hunters series And now the conclusion of Jane Digby's Diary . . . Bright, bold, and beautiful, Jane Digby led a remarkable life. Born to privilege in 1807 at Dorset, England, she soon scandalized Europe with her reckless pursuit of freedom. Kings, princes, barons, brigands, lords, and sheikhs were among her lovers. A gifted...

D. H. Lawrence wrote about desire, class, and the body with a directness that got his books banned. He also wrote some of the most psychologically acute fiction of the twentieth century. This edition collects the four novels that define his achievement. He is the writer whom respectable literary culture has never quite known how to place — too explicit for the academics, too serious for the readers who want explicit. Lawrence was neither pornographer nor sage, which is perhaps why he irritates both camps equally. He was a novelist of unusual precision about the things people don't say in ...

What if everything you know about Jack the Ripper is wrong? Since 1888, hundreds of suspects have been proposed for the Jack the Ripper murders–from Polish barbers to Freemason conspiracies. But what if investigators have been asking the wrong question? Instead of asking ‘Who was Jack the Ripper?’, Richard Walker asked ‘How were these murders actually committed?’ What he discovered is truly shocking.

"As the depths of truth of one's life can only be penned upon the pages of a diary, Jane Digby leads us through her passionate life . . . A wonderful piece of historical fiction that will delight your senses as well as your heart." - Peggy Lee Sprague, Author of The Truth Hunters series Jane Digby's Diary continues with Volume Two: A Rebel Heart. Based on a true story . . . Bright, beautiful, and bold, Jane Digby led a remarkable life. Born to privilege in 1807 at Dorset, England, she soon scandalized Europe with her reckless pursuit of freedom. She sacrificed home, family, and ...

Her desk becomes a command post of mercy, her pen as powerful as any scalpel. And though her body weakens, her reach extends farther than ever before. Yet Florence’s later years are not without trial. Bureaucrats still resist reform. Critics mock trained nurses as “unwomanly.” Her own family, strained by years of distance, questions the sacrifices she made. At times she wonders if she gave too much — love, family, comfort — in exchange for her mission. But letters of gratitude pour in: soldiers whose lives were saved by her methods, families who thank her for clean wards and ...

Dive into history with Florence Nightingale! In this captivating biography for 8 to 12 year-old girls, discover the incredible true story of the "Lady with the Lamp," told in her very own words. Part of the inspiring "Her-story" series, this book brings to life the pioneering spirit of Florence Nightingale, a truly remarkable woman. Journey with Florence from her privileged childhood to the harrowing battlefields of the Crimean War, where she transformed nursing and saved countless lives. Young readers will be inspired by her courage, determination, and unwavering dedication to helping ...