If you've ever read feminist literature, Mary Wollstonecraft's *A Vindication of the Rights of Woman* is likely a familiar title. But Susan J. Wolfson's *On Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: The First of a New Genus* offers a fresh, insightful look into this pioneering work, making it more accessible and relevant for both newcomers and seasoned readers alike.

Wolfson expertly contextualizes Wollstonecraft's revolutionary arguments within the turbulent political landscape of the 1790s, particularly the French Revolution. She dives into the text with an eye for detail, unpacking Wollstonecraft's literary craft and her innovative approach to advocating for women’s rights. One of the book’s strengths is how it highlights Wollstonecraft’s sharp analysis of gendered language—a crucial element that often gets overlooked.

For first-time readers, Wolfson's book is a goldmine. It doesn’t just explain why Wollstonecraft’s arguments were groundbreaking; it also provides a clear glossary of the key figures and concepts of the time, making the dense material more digestible. For those familiar with Wollstonecraft, Wolfson offers new perspectives, particularly in how Wollstonecraft managed to decouple sex from gender, setting a precedent for future feminist discourse.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Note on formatting: The kindle version of this book was a formatting nightmare. I tried numerous fonts and spacing techniques to fix the problems, but nothing solved the problem.

I appreciated going back into the world of Mary Wollstonecraft. I've read most of her writing, and it had been a while since I was immersed in Wollstonecraft's work, philosophy and turbulent personal life. I was the prime candidate for Susan J. Wolfson's book. I think the problem is that this book is geared for readers who are not that familiar with Mary Wollstonecraft. It's not a book for someone who has read a great deal about Wollstonecraft's life.

That's fine because Susan J. Wolfson's book works as a beginning look at Wollstonecraft's life especially how it relates to the creation of "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman." Wolfson highlights the difficulties non-married women had in eighteenth-century Britain. Wollstonecraft wanted to break free from those legal and societal shackles so she turned to writing about education, philosophy, marriage, sex roles, motherhood, work, etc. Wolfson connects these topics to Wollstonecraft's own background and how her life and writing are inextricably linked. She repeatedly cited passages from Wollstonecraft's letters and published writing to prove this point.

As this text offer material for the first-time reader, Wolfson also provides a glossary of short biographical notes on writers, thinkers, and philosophers she mentions within the text. This is helpful for someone unfamiliar with Wollstonecraft and eighteenth-century Britain. This would be a nice gift for someone starting off on an English or Women's Studies degree or career.

I found this to be a great edition to introduce students/other interested parties to why Wollstonecraft is important, and why we should continue to read her work. There were a few formatting this, but I'm guessing that was due to the not-yet-published nature of the book. Rounding 4.5 stars to 5.