Hannah Snell: The Secret Life of a Female Marine, 1723–1792 by Matthew Stephens

A remarkable true story of courage, identity, and history

Good Condition – general cover wear and light creasing visible.Why gentlemen, James Gray will cast off his skin like a snake and become a new creature. In a word, gentlemen, I am as much a woman as my mother ever was, and my real name is Hannah Snell. - The Female Soldier, 1750

So began the public life of Britain's famous female soldier, Hannah Snell. In 1750, she captivated London theatre audiences with tales of her disguise as a man. She told them of her enlistment in the marines and her journey to India, where she fought in the siege of Pondicherry and was severely wounded. Managing to conceal her sex, she returned to London and broke the news of her adventures. Two sell-out editions of her biography were published in 1750, and her portrait was available on every street corner. Later that year, the Royal Chelsea Hospital granted her a lifetime army pension.

From the moment Hannah Snell revealed her secret, authors and journalists have written their version of this extraordinary woman's story. While some have accused Hannah of being a charlatan, others have believed her every word. After many years of research, Matthew Stephens has written a very different account of Hannah's life - one in which he looks behind the myths and reveals an intriguing tale of bravery and deceit in which the truth is often stranger than fiction.