“A detailed analysis of the relationship between education and women’s participation in civil society. . . .Best utilized in a course examining the historic relationship between women’s education and women’s participation in public life.” — Feminist Teacher
“A fresh interpretation of the place of education, reading, and voluntary association in American women’s lives between the Revolution and the Civil War.” — New England Quarterly
“Ambitious and fascinating. . . . Women’s voices are vibrantly present.” — Journal of American History
“[Kelley’s] analysis reflects the nuanced reading that is necessary when employing literary discourse for historical explanation. The volume adds considerably to the historiography on American women, education, and politics.” — Journal of the Early Republic
“This book fills an important gap in the historiography. Kelley has provided a wealth of detail about this lost world of educated women, which had a lasting impact on defining women’s cultural authority in American society.” — American Historical Review
“The book’s greatest strength is its archival depth and breadth. . . . Presents an impressive number of examples drawn from the experiences of women across seven decades and at least a dozen states. . . . An important resource for all historians of gender, education or print culture in early republic and antebellum America.” — Common-Place
“This superb book persuasively and gracefully makes the case that education . . . was the decisive factor propelling women’s entrance into the public sphere during the nineteenth century. . . . Deserves the widest possible readership.” — The Historian
“Elegant. . . . Kelley has drawn from a vast array of sources, crossing regional and racial lines, to produce a meticulous argument. Her story explains rather that valorizes.” — Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
“[An] innovative and meticulously researched book.” — American Antiquarian Society Newsletter
“A treasure trove of stories about famous and obscure women who cherished learning, books, and, especially, the opportunity to exchange ideas with other women. ” — The North Carolina Historical Review
