Mary Taylor – författare

In Elizabeth Gaskell's seminal biography The Life of Charlotte Brontë, Gaskell makes extensive use of Charlotte's correspondence with her closest friend, known to readers of that work simply as `Dear M.' `M.' was later identified as Mary Taylor, whom Charlotte met as a teenager at boarding school (the school used as the model for `Lowood' in Jane Eyre) with whom she remained friends for life. It was Mary Taylor who inspired Charlotte to leave her oppressive parsonage home and go off to school in Brussels and, again, who came to her rescue when that adventure went sour and Charlotte was paralysed by her unrequited love for her language teacher. Mary herself led a much less restricted life. She horrified her friends by teaching at a boys' school in Germany and then by setting off for New Zealand with her younger brother in order to earn her own living. She eventually became a feminist essayist, urging women to work to support themselves as their `first duty,' and she chided her friend Charlotte as a `coward and a traitor' for not being equally clear-headed about the debilitating effects of economic dependancy.In Miss Miles, her only novel, she breaks with tradition by producing a work which depicts women's friendships as sustaining life and sanity in oppressive situations as well as introducing an innovative narrative form which Janet Murray calls a `feminist bildungsroman': the story of the education of several heroines, emphasizing their friendship and their economic and mental well-being rather than their love-lives.

Homes by Association by Mary Taylor is an insightful and engaging history of housing associations in Scotland, charting their development from the 1970s to the present day. Exploring more than 50 years of Scottish social housing, the book examines how community-led, not-for-profit housing organisations transformed affordable housing provision across cities, towns, rural communities and islands throughout Scotland.Ideal for readers interested in affordable housing in Scotland, public policy, community development and social housing, Homes by Association provides a clear understanding of how housing associations evolved from small grassroots initiatives into professional organisations delivering homes for nearly half a million people. The book highlights the sector’s social purpose, resilience and commitment to high-quality, people-focused housing.Drawing on real-world case studies, sector research, photographs and insights from experienced housing professionals and leading practitioners, the book offers valuable perspectives on governance, leadership and sustainable community development. It also explores the wider role housing associations play in supporting public good, tackling housing inequality and strengthening local communities.Timely and thought-provoking, Homes by Association is essential reading for housing professionals, policymakers, students and anyone interested in the future of social housing and not-for-profit organisations in Scotland. By examining the successes and challenges of the sector, the book demonstrates what housing associations can teach us about resilient organisations, long-term investment and building communities that last.

Rustington is a village on the Sussex plain between the South Downs and the sea. This book recounts the story of its long history in a wealth of historic photographs, almost entirely chosen from the author's collection.