In the late eighteenth century a small Shaker community travelled to America under the leadership of ‘Mother Ann’ Lee. The American communities they founded were based on ideals of pacifism, celibacy and gender equality. The texts included in this edition come from first-hand accounts of life in the Shaker communities during the nineteenth century.

In the late eighteenth century a small Shaker community travelled to America under the leadership of ‘Mother Ann’ Lee. The American communities they founded were based on ideals of pacifism, celibacy and gender equality. The texts included in this edition come from first-hand accounts of life in the Shaker communities during the nineteenth century.