'It is in every way worthy of what one great woman should have written ofanother.' Patrick BronteElizabeth Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Bronte (1857) is a pioneeringbiography of one great Victorian woman novelist by another.Gaskell was a friend of Charlotte Bronte, and, having been invited to write theoffical life, determined both to tell the truth and to honour her friend. Shecontacted those who had known Charlotte and travelled extensively in England andBelgium to gather material. She wrote from a vivid accumulation of letters,interviews, and observation, establishing the details of Charlotte's life andrecreating her background. Through an often difficult and demanding process,Gaskell created a vital sense of a life hidden from the world.This edition is based on the Third Edition of 1857, revised by Gaskell. It hasbeen collated with the manuscript, and the previous two editions, as well aswith Charlotte Bront'e's letters, and thus offers fuller information about theprocess of composition than any previous edition.