Elizabeth Hamilton (1758-1816) was a prominent figure in the Scottish intellectual landscape of her day. An Orientalist, a Roman historian, and a philosopher of education, she published highly successful books in all these fields, as well as doing pioneering practical work for the cause of women's education. Benger's is still the only biography of this remarkable woman, and it includes an autobiographical fragment, extracts from Hamilton's journals, and letters to her friend and fellow philosopher Dugald Stewart.