From modest Quaker beginnings as the child of financially insecure parents and the wife of a stolid young lawyer to the excitement and challenges of life as the nation's first First Lady--arguably the most influential role in the American government's formative years--Dolley Payne Todd Madison (1768-1849) led an extraordinary life. David B. Mattern and Holly C. Shulman have culled a particularly rich selection of her letters to illuminate the story of the woman widely credited with setting the standard for successive generations of Washington's political women. This collection will prove an invaluable resource in current political and historical circles, where the role founding mothers played--both as supportive family members and as crucial political negotiators--is increasingly recognized and studied.

Organized chronologically into five sections reaching from her correspondence as a young adult in late-eighteenth-century Philadelphia up to the letters of her widowhood in 1840s Washington, and with a helpful contextualizing introduction to each section, "The Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison" provides a long-overdue biographical sketch of one of the early republic's most fascinating personalities.

"The Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison" was made possible through a grant from the National Historical Publications & Records Commission

Perhaps the most important woman in 20th century America, Eleanor Roosevelt fascinates scholar and layperson alike. This exciting encyclopedia brings together basic information illuminating her complex career and making the interaction between her private and public lives accessible to scholars, students, and the general public. Written by scholars--including the most eminent Eleanor Roosevelt and New Deal scholars--journalists, and those who knew her, the 200 plus entries in this book provide easy access to material showing how Eleanor Roosevelt changed the First Lady's role in politics, widened opportunities for women, became a liberal leader during the Cold War era, and served as a guiding spirit at the United Nations. A unique resource, the book provides an introduction to American history through the vantage point of a woman who both represented her times and moved beyond them.

Illuminating her multifaceted career, life, and relationships, "The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia" offers the reader an unparalleled opportunity to examine the complicated and fascinating life of Eleanor Roosevelt.