Fierce Convictions
The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More: Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Nelson Books (Thomas Nelson)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
With a foreword by Eric Metaxas, best-selling author of Bonhoeffer and Amazing Grace. The enthralling biography of the woman writer who helped end the slave trade, changed Britain’s upper classes, and taught a nation how to read. The history-changing reforms of Hannah More affected every level of 18 th -Century British society through her keen intellect, literary achievements, collaborative spirit, strong Christian principles, and colorful personality. A woman without connections or status, More took the world of British letters by storm when she arrived in London from Bristol, becoming a best-selling author and acclaimed playwright and quickly befriending the author Samuel Johnson, the politician Horace Walpole, and the actor David Garrick. Yet she was also a leader in the Evangelical movement, using her cultural position and her pen to support the growth of education for the poor, the reform of morals and manners, and the abolition of Britain’s slave trade. Fierce Convictions weaves together world and personal history into a stirring story of life that intersected with Wesley and Whitefield’s Great Awakening, the rise and influence of Evangelicalism, and convulsive effects of the French Revolution. A woman of exceptional intellectual gifts and literary talent, Hannah More was above all a person whose faith compelled her both to engage her culture and to transform it.
Endorsements (17)
“PRAISE FOR Fierce Convictions A book everyone should read, a life everyone should know, and one that many should emulate.”
“I’m so glad I read this book. I knew nothing about Hannah More before being introduced to her by Karen Swallow Prior’s wonderful biography. Hannah More—a marvelous writer and a courageous opponent of the slave trade—is now one of my special saints!”
Dr. Richard Mouw
“How does this change the way I live from now on?”
“cheap tracts” for England’s poor in the tumultuous years of the American and French Revolutions. As educator, writer, reformer, and public Christian she was much lauded, but also much lampooned, during her own lifetime. With careful research, balanced judgments, accessible prose, and unusual insight, Karen Swallow Prior’s biography shows clearly why Hannah More made such an important impact in her own age, and also why her life can speak in significant ways to readers today.”
“Here is that rarity of a book: scholarship of impeccable rigor that’s also a compulsive page-turner. Reading Karen Swallow Prior feels like a privilege.”
“young women. As an abolitionist, I find strength in knowing there are many that have gone before and many who will come after.”
“Professor Prior’s perspective, which combines literary and historical insights, gives a valuable window into the character of Hannah More, who is interesting, not just because she is so sparky but also because More’s interests were so many and she is so full of contradictions. It does us local history people good to have the biographical links with More’s writings pointed out and explained. I believe Professor Prior has made a valuable addition to the literature about More, and hope the book gets the success it deserves.”
“Whether confronting the evils of slavery, pressing for change in the treatment of animals, urging prison reform, or championing a broader literacy, Hannah More was a clear and steady champion of a moral philanthropy grounded in faith. More deserves to be much better known, and Prior’s fine treatment of her life ensures that she will be.”
“Hannah More, famed as a gifted playwright, was a witty ornament of London parties in the later eighteenth century. Yet she was also a defender of the British constitution, an architect of Victorian family life and a resolute opponent of the slave trade. Karen Swallow Prior has given a rounded portrait of a woman who combined literary ability with Evangelical piety in a most attractive way.”
“Prior has crafted an absolutely absorbing and rigorously researched biography. The interweaving of Hannah More’s own voice via letters and conversation reveals a witty, determined, and socially conscious woman bolstered by her radical faith. The result is a vibrant tale of perseverance under trial and enduring female fortitude in the face of societal challenges.”
“heart and hands” behind Britain’s movement to abolish slavery, Hannah More deserves long-overdue recognition as one of the great moral reformers of her time. Karen Swallow Prior’s fascinating biography Fierce Convictions restores her to just that place, alongside John Newton and William Wilberforce. This compelling book is a must-read for anyone interested in how people of faith can make a real difference in their world.”
“Hannah More was not without faults, or failings. These underscore her humanity, as author Karen Swallow Prior so rightly discerns in this finely balanced book. But then, there are also the seasons of life when we see someone like Hannah More come into her own, or sacrifice much to make a better world. For her abolitionist labors alone, she deserves a place alongside her great friend, William Wilberforce. But then, there are so many other fascinating aspects of Hannah More’s life. Such the reader will find in the pages of this book. Fierce Convictions is narrative biography at its best: restoring a great soul to her rightful place in our living cultural memory.”
“Many believe in the power of faith to effect social, as well as personal, transformation; but few of us have actually seen it in practice. To us, Karen Swallow Prior offers the life and legacy of Hannah More, a woman of piety and grace, intelligence and passion—a woman whose evangelical convictions and literary wit turned her world upside down. As we fight for justice, pursue peace, and work toward a better future, Fierce Convictions reminds us that the way forward also includes learning from the past.”
“Karen Swallow Prior introduces us to a woman we should have met long before now. In this inspiring new biography, Prior captures the remarkable life of one of the most influential women of her day. Prior’s portrait of Hannah More is an engaging engaging and fascinating read that shows the power of words to change the world.”
“In the pages of this vibrant biography, Karen Swallow Prior paints a living picture of Hannah More: a modest and imaginative woman with the courage to cultivate biblical femininity and the wisdom to avoid the snares of early feminism. Her story must be retold in every generation. Ours is now covered.”
“the pages.”
“When faced with the overwhelming needs of our world today, I now find myself asking, “What would Hannah More do?” And the answer is simple . . . More would do something. It was that resilient willingness to use her words for good when others were comfortable keeping quiet that allowed her to literally move the world.”
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