A Vindication of the Rights of WomanA Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Score Classic
What it's about
Writing in 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft argues that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear so because they're denied education, and calls for a society built on reason, in which women are educated as equals.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time. It's a founding work of feminist philosophy.
You'll love it if you liked
A Room of One's Own
The Second Sex
Romantic OutlawsGood to know
The 18th-century prose is demanding but rewarding.
By the numbers
- Readers28 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller15 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #178 of the 198 history books we rank
- #580 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2018 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, True story
If you like this, read next
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of Time
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
CosmosExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time. It ranks #2,018 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman about?
Writing in 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft argues that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear so because they're denied education, and calls for a society built on reason, in which women are educated as equals.
How long does it take to read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman?
About 7 hours (269 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Vindication of the Rights of Woman?
If you liked it, try A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir or Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon.