First published in 1867, Anne Hereford is the story of murder, scandal, and misunderstandings in an aristocratic country house, told from the point of view of an orphaned ten-year-old. Its setting and viewpoint have led to natural comparisons with Jane Eyre, but it is Jane Eyre shot through with scandal and sensation -- the kind of book that might have appealed to the first Mrs. Rochester. Despite its antiquated wills, inheritances, shotguns, and other paraphernalia, the novel is almost entirely accessible by modern readers -- with perhaps one exception. The reader should keep in mind that the phrase "make love to" denoted harmless flirting or praise in Victorian parlance. Thus when Selina urges, "Anne, come forward, and let Mr. Heneage make love to you. It is a pastime he favors," nothing sinister is implied. -- Martha Bayless

Author Biography

Ellen Wood (1814 - 1887), was an English novelist, better known as Mrs. Henry Wood. She is remembered most for her 1861 novel East Lynne, but many of her books became international bestsellers and widely known in the United States. She surpassed the fame of Charles Dickens in Australia. In 1836 she married Henry Wood, who worked in the banking and shipping trade in Dauphine in the South of France, where they lived for 20 years. On the failure of Wood's business, the family (including four children) returned to England and settled in Upper Norwood near London, where Ellen Wood turned to writing. This supported the family after Henry Wood died in 1866. She wrote over 30 novels, many of which (especially East Lynne) enjoyed remarkable popularity. Among the best known are Danesbury House, Oswald Cray, Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles, The Channings, Lord Oakburn's Daughters and The Shadow of Ashlydyat. Her writing tone would be described as "conservative and Christian," occasionally expressing religious rhetoric. In 1867, Wood purchased the English magazine Argosy, which had been founded by Alexander Strahan in 1865. Wood continued as its editor until her death in 1887, when her son Charles Wood took over. Wood's works were translated into many languages, including French and Russian. Leo Tolstoy, in a March 1872 letter to his older brother Sergei, noted that he was "reading Mrs. Wood's wonderful novel In the Maze." Wood wrote several works of supernatural fiction, including "The Ghost" (1862) and the often anthologized "Reality or Delusion?" (1868).