Charmione, A Tale of the great Athenian Revolution. In Two Volumes. Vol. I [-II].

Bookseller Notes

A historical novel with a female protagonist, by English Liberal MP Edward Leatham (1828-1900). The eponymous Charmione is the daughter of Critias, and her life allows Leatham to explore the history and milieu of Periclean Athens. A contemporary reviewer found the novel broadly convincing, 'though it tastes of the dictionary' (The Examiner 23 Jan. 1858).Charmione ran to three editions, the second of which (1859) was printed in Wakefield, the third (1864) in Leeds. Leatham was part of a prominent Quaker community in Yorkshire, and was M.P. for Huddersfield. His brother was the radical firebrand John Bright, and his own parliamentary career - he introduced the bill that would become the Ballot Act (1872) - was similarly progressive.