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Book description

Thomas Day knew exactly the sort of woman he wanted to marry. Pure and virginal yet tough and hardy, she would live with him in an isolated cottage, completely subservient to his whims. As Day soon discovered, the woman of his dreams didn't exist in Georgian society - but rather than concede defeat, Day set out to create her.

He adopted two young orphans from a Foundling Hospital and, guided by the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, attempted to teach them to be model wives. Day hoped to eventually marry one of his wards, but the experiment inevitably backfired - though not before he had taken his theories about marriage, education, and femininity to their most shocking extremes.

In How to Create the Perfect Wife , acclaimed biographer Wendy Moore tells the captivating story of this bizarre experiment, illuminating the radicalism - and deep contradictions - at the heart of the Enlightenment. Wendy Moore is a freelance journalist and author. Her work has been published in numerous national newspapers and magazines and has won several awards. Her first book THE KNIFE MAN won the MEDICAL JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION CONSUMER BOOK AWARD in 2005 and was shortlisted for both SALTIRE and the MARCH BIOGRAPHY AWARDS. It is currently being adapted for for television by David Cronenberg. Her second book, WEDLOCK has been highly acclaimed and was chosen for the Channel 4 TV Book Club. She lives in London with her husband and two children.