Regency England continues to be mythologized by romance novels set in the period, which focus almost exclusively on wealthy, white members of the upper classes. But as Bea Koch reveals, there are hundreds of fascinating women who don't fit the stereotype—whether because of their race, gender identity, or independence of mind—and here she profiles such figures as Dido Elizabeth Belle, whose mother was a slave but was raised by her white father's family; Caroline Herschel, who acted as her brother's assistant as he hunted for comets, and ended up discovering eight on her own; and Judith Montefiore, author of the first English language Kosher cookbook.