"On April 10, 1772, eighteen-year-old Elizabeth Simpson packed up her possessions, wrote her mother a note, and struck out alone to find fame and fortune as an actress. Late-eighteenth-century London was brimming with fascinating people, grand theatre, and political intrigue, and the beautiful young Elizabeth wanted a taste of it all.

After several years touring the surrounding countryside with struggling theatre troupes, she would eventually find herself at the center of the city's social and cultural circles.".

"I'll Tell You What: The Life of Elizabeth Inchbald follows Elizabeth Simpson on her journey to becoming the "Celebrated Mrs. Inchbald" - actress, playwright, novelist, and respected drama critic.

Using material from Inchbald's own pocket books detailing her daily life (she destroyed most of her letters and journals late in life at the advice of a Catholic confessor) as well as a wealth of other sources, Annibel Jenkins provides a vibrant portrait of life in eighteenth-century London as well as the first full story of this fascinating and thoroughly modern woman."--BOOK JACKET.