Charlotte Brontë is one of the world's best-loved writers. Her extraordinary literary talent manifested itself at an early age when she penned a series of imaginative and entertaining tales. Before her untimely death at the age of 38 she produced the masterpieces Jane Eyre, Shirley, and Vilette. Superb and meticulously researched, Jessica Cox's biography provides a beautifully drawn portrait of the creator of some of the world's most remarkable novels.

Jessica Cox is a lecturer in English Literature at Brunel University She has published a number of articles on Victorian literature, including the work of the Brontës, and is the editor of the Penguin edition of Charlotte Brontë's Shirley.