The Bronte family is unique. Three sisters, each writing masterpieces, lived in a parsonage in a Yorkshire backwater. Each in her own different way was a genius, a verbal conjuror. This book gives a day-by-day account of the lives of the whole family, including stirring events like the production of extraordinary poems, but also details trivial matters, such as the entertainment of visiting clergy or the trials of leaving an umbrella behind on a journey. Appendices deal with the scandal affecting brother Branwell, and the production of the imaginary world of Gondal.