Diamonds and Deadlines: A Tale of Greed, Deceit, and a Female Tycoon in the Gilded Age

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Among the notable tycoons of the Gilded Age—Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt—one figure remains largely forgotten: Mrs. Frank Leslie. For two decades, she led Frank Leslie Publishing, the nation's largest publishing company, chronicling postbellum America through numerous periodicals. As a pioneer in a male-dominated industry, she amassed a fortune and gained fame as a national tastemaker. However, Miriam Leslie was also synonymous with scandal; she defied societal norms, had multiple lovers, married four times, and concealed a life filled with secrets and deception. Throughout her life, hints of her tumultuous past surfaced, including an illegitimate birth and a troubled youth. This biography unveils the sensational story of the "empress of journalism," who made headlines even in death by bequeathing her multimillion-dollar estate to women's suffrage, a historic contribution that helped ensure the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. Cultural historian Betsy Prioleau draws from diaries, genealogies, and published works to present an intimate portrait of one of the Gilded Age's most complex and powerful women, ultimately restoring Mrs. Frank Leslie to her rightful place in history as a monumental businesswoman and an unexpected feminist icon.