Radcliffe was born Ann Ward on July 9, 1764. Her father was a haberdasher (someone who sells items related to sewing, dressmaking, and knitting); when Radcliffe was still a child, the family moved to the town of Bath, but she regularly spent time in London with relatives. In 1787, Radcliffe married a man named William Radcliffe. He was a journalist who had been educated at Oxford University and who was involved with a number of periodicals and newspapers, as well as political causes. Radcliffe seems to have started writing fiction some time after her marriage, possibly with her husband's encouragement, and in 1789, she published her first novel, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne. This...
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