Mad and Bad Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch (paperback)

Regency England, immortalized by the likes of Jane Austen and Lord Byron, is now mythologized by the hundreds of romance novels set in the period, which focus almost exclusively on wealthy white, Christian members of the upper class.  But there are many compelling women who don't fit history books' limited perception of what was historically accurate for the period. MAD AND BAD reveals the standard-breaking women of the Regency who lived life on their own terms.  With chapters on women in the LGBTQ and Jewish communities, women of color, and female scientists, Bea Koch exposes readers to the more vibrant, diverse, and fascinating historical truth of the Regency.