The first edition of the Life and Correspondence of Mrs Hannah More sold out within three weeks; a second and third followed rapidly. 'Holy Hannah', as Horace Walpole called her (William Cobbett called her 'the Old Bishop in petticoats'), was already a celebrity. William Roberts, the family friend entrusted with the task of producing the book, made her into a saint. He presented her as a vessel chosen by God, who had carried her 'through great temptations and trials' to her 'exemplary eminence'.

LRB 16 December 2004 | PDF Download