This collection of letters illuminates one of early America's most fascinating personalities and enhances the story of the influential First Lady who set the standard for generations of Washington's political women. The volume contains Madison's letters as a young adult in late eighteenth-century Philadelphia, through the correspondences of her widowhood in the 1840s. Introductions to each section provide context for the letters. Mattern is senior associate editor of the Papers of James Madison; Schulman is research associate professor of studies in women and gender, U. of Virginia. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)