When Emily Dickinson died at her home in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1886, she left a locked chest with hand-sewn notebooks and papers filled with nearly 1,800 unpublished poems. Four years later, her first collection was published and became a singular success. Today Dickinson is revered as one of America's greatest and most original poets. Virtually unknown before her death, Dickinson reshaped American ideas of what poems could be--but not without personal cost.

Trace Dickinson's life from her active childhood in Massachusetts to her conflicted school years and more isolated adulthood. Dickinson experienced a great deal of pain and loss that she funneled into her haunting, lyrical poetry, and she was far from the shy spinster many claim her to be. Drawing heavily on primary sources and new research, this comprehensive biography reveals the many sides of Dickinson's story and her complicated legacy. Read a fresh take on the poet's life and discover her powerful art.