“In the forty years from 1600 to 1640, when Margaret reached the age of seventeen, only forty-two books by women had been printed, and of these only seven wore literary works.” LiteratureWomenSeventeenth Century Book:Mad Madge: The Extraordinary Life of Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, the First Woman to Live by Her Pen Source: Mad Madge: The Extraordinary Life of Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, the First Woman to Live by Her Pen