This is the first book about the women of the early American Idealist movement in philosophy. The movement started in St. Louis, Missouri in 1858, becoming more influential as women joined and influenced its development. Many of these women were pioneers in feminist thought, in the expansion of education, and of the woman's role in it as teachers and scholars. Chief among them were Susan E. Blow, Anna C. Brackett, Grace C. Bibb, Ellen M. Mitchell, and Marietta Kies. This book devotes a chapter to the life, practical work, and philosophical ideas of each of them. These were the first American women as a group to plunge into philosophy proper, bridging those years between the amateur, paraprofessional, and professional academic philosopher. Dorothy Rogers' new book at last gives them the attention they deserve.