An anthology of women's letters, studying the tradition of female letter-writing from the 12th century to the present. One of the few "allowable" forms of written expression open to women until the 18th century - even Jane Austen at first pretended her drawing-room scribbling was letters rather than the novel she was really working on - these private letters detail their daily lives, their sorrows and joys, small achievements, and the great rites of passage of birth, death and marriage. Both entertaining and informative, this study provides an insight into past women's lives and should be a valuable historical resource, in particular for historians and those interested in women's studies.