Individualist Feminism of the Nineteenth Century

This is a history of the individualist feminism movement and of three prominent publications that rose in its defense: The Word, Liberty and Lucifer the Light Bearer. These often-overlooked 19th century journals published some of the most important ideas on feminism, anarchism and personal liberty.
Biographies and selections from contributors to these magazines feature the remarkable women and men who laid many of the foundations for modern feminist thought. Angela Heywood, who first defended abortion based on women’s self-ownership of her body, and Lillian Harman, who was jailed at 16 for being married without state or church ceremonies, are two of the women profiled.
These fascinating profiles and writings provide insight into the lives and work of these important but often neglected early feminists.

Wendy McElroy writes and edits books about electoral practices and feminism. She lives in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada.

Wendy McElroy
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 216
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012 [2001]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7400-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v
Introduction      1

Section I: The Word: A Monthly Journal of Reform (1872–1890, 1892–1893)
1. Agela Fiducia Tilton Heywood: In the Shadow of a Man      19
2. Women of The Word: A Biographical Dictionary of the Day-to-Day Radicals      48

Section II: Lucifer, the Light Bearer (1883–1907)
3. Moses Harman: The Paradigm of a Male Feminist      89
4. Edwin Cox Walker and Lillian Harman: A Feminist Couple      125

Section III: Liberty: Not the Daughter But the Mother of Order (1881–1908)
5. Sarah Elizabeth Holmes: The Study of a Silenced Woman      135
6. Gertrude B. Kelly: A Disillusioned Woman      164

Notes      191
Select Bibliography      199
Index      201

“enthralling…beautiful writing…wonderful…a must-read”—Public Library Quarterly; “useful”—Reference Reviews.