Anna Maria Bennett
Believed to have been born in Merthyr Tydfil, Anna Maria Bennett (c. 1740-1808) led a sometimes scandalous life as a wife, mistress, mother of illegitimate children, theatre manager and author. Her seven novels were compared favorably to those of Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding and Frances Burney, and influenced Jane Austen’s work. Perhaps as a result of her own notoriety, Bennett’s novels sold incredibly well on publication but this is the first new edition of Ellen since 1794.
