A woman of many gifts, Margaret Fuller (1810-50) is most aptly remembered as America's first true feminist. Her 1845 work, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, is regarded as the United States' first feminist publication, a groundbreaking book that helped reshape gender roles for women as well as men. Fuller was one of the few female members of the Transcendentalist movement, and in her brief yet fruitful life, she was an author, editor, literary and social critic, journalist, poet, and revolutionary.

This collection reflects the broad scope of Fuller's interests. Ranging from her early poetry to her reviews and essays, selections include the travelogue Summer on the Lakes, her contributions to the literary journal The Dial, and her unpublished journals.