Elizabeth Montagu, the queen of the bluestockings, Volume 2 (of 2): Her correspondence from 1720 to 1761

About this book

This volume gathers the letters of Elizabeth Montagu, the celebrated “queen of the Bluestocking Society,” spanning the years 1720 to 1761. The editor has arranged the material chronologically, beginning with a rapid succession of entries that name clergy, aristocrats, literary figures, and the events that occupied their attention, deaths, lawsuits, social gatherings, and the minutiae of daily life. The opening pages list a bewildering array of topics, from the death of Dr Chesilden to the “Scott separation,” from inoculation to the “Bas‑Bleus” assemblies, providing a snapshot of the dense network of contacts that Montagu cultivated. The work is presented in a scholarly format, with chapter headings, indexes, and illustrated plates that locate the correspondence within the broader cultural and political landscape of mid‑eighteenth‑century Britain.

The letters are written in the polished, conversational style of an eighteenth‑century gentlewoman, full of polite address, detailed observations, and occasional humor. Montagu’s voice is both personal and public, reflecting her role as hostess, patron, and commentator on the intellectual currents of her time. Readers who enjoy social history, the politics of the Georgian era, or the epistolary genre will find this collection rewarding, as it offers direct insight into the networks that shaped the period’s literary and salon culture.