Patience Carruthers is a bluestocking with no interest in the fleeting uncertainty of love. Her passion is for books, knowledge, and the improvement of the world. When she learns of Mrs. Oliver’s work, instructing ladies in intimate matters to better their marriages, she is resolved to see that volume published for the public good—and will even accept an agreement to wed a notorious rake to accomplish her goal. Thanks to his uncle’s reckless wager, Arthur Beckham has immediate need of a wife. Insisting he has an understanding with Miss Carruthers, a lady of good sense and practicality, may provide an escape from his predicament—assuming the lady in question can be persuaded to agree. He proposes a marriage of convenience to Miss Carruthers, vowing he will do whatever she desires in exchange for one son—even ensure the publication of such an uncommon volume. Arthur is intrigued by this lady and her ability to surprise him. Her commitment to honesty tempts him to abandon the disguise that has defined his life for decades—though Arthur fears that admitting his deception might turn Patience against him forever. Can the book help him to capture the heart of his pragmatic bride before his secret is revealed?

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice An illuminating group portrait of the eighteenth-century women who dared to imagine an active life for themselves in both mind and spirit. In England in the 1700s, a woman who was an intellectual, spoke out, or wrote professionally was considered unnatural. After all, as the wisdom of the era dictated, a clever woman—if there were such a thing—would never make a good wife. But a circle of women called the Bluestockings did something extraordinary: coming together in glittering salons to discuss and debate as intellectual equals with men, they fought for women to be educated and to have a public role in society. In this intimate and revelatory history, Susannah Gibson delves into the lives of these pioneering women. Elizabeth Montagu established one of the most famous salons of the Bluestocking movement, with everyone from royalty to revolutionaries clamoring for an invitation to attend. Her younger sister, Sarah Scott, imagined a female-run society and created a women’s commune. Meanwhile, Hester Thrale, who also had a salon, saved her husband’s brewery from bankruptcy and, after being widowed, married a man she loved—Italian, Catholic, and not of her social class. Other women made a name for themselves through their publications, including Catharine Macaulay, author of an eight-volume history of England, and Frances Burney, author of the audacious novel Evelina. In elegant prose, Gibson reveals the close and complicated relationships between these women, how they supported and admired each other, and how they sometimes judged and exploited one another. Some rebelled quietly, while others defied propriety with adventurous and scandalous lives. With moving stories and keen insight, The Bluestockings uncovers how a group of remarkable women slowly built up an eviscerating critique of their male-dominated world that society was not yet ready to hear.

Through a fascinating narrative and 65 illustrations, including portraits, prints and caricatures, the extraordinary vigour of the bluestockings, 18th-century foremother to feminism, is rediscovered. In addition, inspirational women in the public eye today contribute their thoughts on the legacy of the bluestockings.

Helena Emerson yearns for romance and adventure, and dreams of wedding a duke for love. She knows she would never be able to endure a marriage with the serious Viscount of Addersley, no matter how handsome he might be. Consumed with logic and good sense, the man might as well be a statue. He does not even dance! She declines his offer, much to the outrage of her family, determined to wed happily or not at all. But Joshua Hargood, Seventh Viscount of Addersley, is not the man Helena assumes him to be. He put aside his rakehell ways a decade before, blaming himself for the accident that claimed his intended. He has, however, never been able to resist a dare if the reward was worthy, and the challenge of undermining Helena’s assumptions is tempting beyond all. He takes a disguise, planning to be a rogue only for the lady he desires to wed, convinced that this is the merit of his scandalous past. Helena is captivated by her mysterious suitor and soon pierces his disguise, only to learn that the viscount lost his betrothed years before—is his heart even available to claim? No sooner is Joshua convinced of success in his suit than his notorious brother, believed dead at Waterloo, returns to demand his due. Joshua knows that his embittered brother will only be satisfied when Addersley itself is destroyed, along with Joshua’s own happiness and prospects. Is he doomed to watch past tragedy repeat itself, or can Joshua save both his legacy and his beloved Helena? * * * disguise, mistaken identity, secrets, scars, wicked for you, spies, intrigue, suspense, love unexpected, action adventure, friends to lovers, reluctant allies, reformed rake, dangerous past

Her good friend… Is suddenly a duke’s heir! Miss Jocelyn Sudderfeld is working at Edge Hall, indulging her love of translating ancient texts with her librarian father—and evading the need to marry! She’s always enjoyed a teasing friendship with estate manager Mr. Alex Cheverton. Until he unexpectedly becomes the duke’s heir. Now his first duty is to marry a suitable debutante, not consort with an earnest bluestocking like her… So where does that leave their friendship? From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past. Heirs in Waiting Book 1: The Bluestocking Duchess

Baseball’s spread across Illinois paralleled the sport’s explosive growth in other parts of the country. Robert D. Sampson taps a wealth of archival research to transport readers to an era when an epidemic of “base ball on the brain” raged from Alton to Woodstock. Focusing on the years 1865 to 1869, Sampson offers a vivid portrait of a game where local teams and civic ambition went hand in hand and teams of paid professionals displaced gentlemen’s clubs devoted to sporting fair play. This preoccupation with competition sparked rules disputes and controversies over imported players while the game itself mirrored society by excluding Black Americans and women. The new era nonetheless brought out paying crowds to watch the Rock Island Lively Turtles, Fairfield Snails, and other teams take the field up and down the state. A first-ever history of early baseball in Illinois, Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins adds the Prairie State game’s unique shadings and colorful stories to the history of the national pastime.

"A Bluestocking Guide: Economics" is a multi-age level book designed to reinforce and enhance a student's understanding of the subject matter presented in the primer "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?" an Uncle Eric book by Richard J. Maybury.