A collection of the often outrageous stories and sayings of more than 100 convention-defying women throughout the ages. They broke all the rules to achieve what they wanted, often in fields seen as the exclusive provinces of men, and were often stigmatised as mad, bad or dangerous to know by jealous or appalled contemporaries. The stories include travellers and explorers, writers and artists and personalities such as Annie Oakley, Mae West and Dorothy Parker.