Mistress of Riversdale : The Plantation Letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert, 1795-1821 by Margaret Law Callcott

Winner of the Book Prize from the Maryland Historical Association

"A richer reflection of life in early 19th-century Maryland and the Washington environs cannot be found . . . These superb letters are enhanced by able editing, both in footnotes and excellent essays at the beginning and end." ―Washington Post Book World

"Callcott is a suberb editor; she has exhaustively researched every aspect of Calvert's life, and her introductory and concluding essays, including an account of George Calvert's relationship with a slave woman, which produced five children, contain much information of interest." ―Elizabeth R. Baer, Belles Lettres

"These letters document the timeless elements of domestic life―family relationships, childbirth, illness, househld chores―but they offer far more than the familiar fare of the plantation mistress."―Patricia Brady, The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography