Mary Edwards Bryan became one of America’s best-known writers of popular fiction in the nineteenth century. She reached literary success despite a tough frontier life, the upheavals of secession and war, disruptive affairs with authors and politicians, the tensions of emancipation, and pervading post-war economic disorder. Pairing historical insights with selections of Bryan’s best writing, this book illustrates how the obstacles she overcame shaped what she wrote.

Bryan’s life in Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana shows how men often oppressed women-in her case, as fathers and husbands-but also sometimes allowed aspiring women writers key opportunities as publishers and editors of literary journals. This book reintroduces to the world a courageous and creative talent who yearned to express herself while navigating the restrictive morals and conventions of Victorian society.