The Sacred Flame – A Biography of Hannah More

There has never been anyone quite like Hannah More…

Her books were kept in the homes of presidents, and peers of the realm. They were a best–selling phenomenon, and she “the most successful British author of the romantic period,”—more successful, financially, than Sir Walter Scott, and more than Jane Austen.

A gifted poet and playwright Hannah More was, by her early 30s, the toast of literary London. Samuel Johnson collaborated with her in writing verse, and David Garrick, one of the greatest Shakespearian actors in theatre history, was her mentor and devoted patron. Hannah, as a member of the Bluestocking circle of the late 1700s, was a pioneering artist and celebrity. Throughout the English–speaking world, she became a household name.

As a philanthropist and reformer, she was a cherished colleague of William Wilberforce. Their friendship, and endeavours, were famous in their own right. Together, they were abolitionists, and together (with Wilberforce’s backing) Hannah More and her sisters created nine schools, where there were none, and educated 1,000 poor students a year, for decades. Her own charities were legion, and supported by her great royalties as a writer.

Yet there were broken moments in her life. She overcame tragedy, and debilitating pain. She knew what loss and failure were—and she learned the ways of grace, amid it all.

And so, Hannah More is one of the most fascinating figures in the pages of history: and her faith was a benison for the time in which she lived. Her life was illumined by the sacred flame of Christian belief. It inspired books that speak to us now, with power and eloquence—charting the reasons for hope—lending timeless words it is our privilege to know, and return to.