Essays by leading scholars provide a comprehensive overview of women writers and their work in Restoration and eighteenth-century Britain.

Introduction Catherine Ingrassia; Part I. Women in Print Culture: 1. Women as readers and writers Mark Towsey; 2. The professional female writer Betty Schellenberg; 3. Place and publication Sarah Prescott; 4. Women and popular culture Paula R. Backscheider; 5. Genre crossings Kathryn R. King; Part II. Genres, Modes, and Forms: 6. Poetry David Shuttleton; 7. Drama Felicity Nussbaum; 8. History Rivka Swenson; 9. Satire Melinda A. Rabb; 10. Early fiction Nicola Parsons; 11. Later fiction Katherine Binhammer; 12. Travel writing Harriet Guest; 13. Ballads Ruth Perry; 14. Periodical writing Mary Waters; Guide to further reading.