Reading room

An Autobiography

Annie Besant

An account of her first forty-five years: the evangelical childhood, the marriage to Frank Besant, the crisis of faith, the years with Bradlaugh, the Knowlton trial, the loss of her daughter, socialism, the matchgirls' strike and, in the final chapter, 'Through Storm to Peace', the meeting with Blavatsky. Written with a candour unusual in a Victorian woman, it is the indispensable primary source and a remarkable piece of autobiographical prose.