Books by William McCarthy

Much has been written about Thrale, friend and hostess of Samuel Johnson, but this is the first study to focus on Piozzi as the writer. In his narrative of her life, McCarthy draws on a large body of published and unpublished sources to map Piozzi's literary development, define her literary identity, and evaluate her achievement. Originally published in 1985.

Based on more than fifteen years of research in dozens of libraries and archives across five countries, this is the first full-length biography of one of the foremost women writers in Georgian England.