Lady Editor

Lady Editor re-creates the life of Sarah Josepha Hale, a major nineteenth-century woman whose career as a writer, editor, and early feminist encompassed ideas central to American history.

For half a century, Hale was the most influential woman in America, serving as editor of Godey's Lady's Book and shaping American culture through her advocacy for women's education, employment, and financial independence.

The book explores her role as a pathbreaker who promoted American authors, wrote the first antislavery novel, compiled the first women's history book, and penned "Mary Had a Little Lamb," while also detailing her successful campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday.