This provides quick access to the lives and work of a wide range of notable female writers from Great Britain and the continent, from Aphra Behn to Emily Bronte, from Simone de Beauvoir to Isak Dinesen, from Bridget of Sweden to Hannah Arendt. Writers in more than thirty languages are included.

Going back fifteen centuries, the Encyclopedia covers the authors of novels, short stories, poetry, plays, criticism, social commentary, feminist manifestos, romances, mysteries, memoirs, children's literature, biography, and other genres. In signed entries, experts in the field examine writers' lives and achievements, comment on individual works, place artistic efforts in historical context, and provide insights and analyses.

Each entry is followed by a list of primary works, and the Encyclopedia is indexed by pseudonym, country, and chronology.