The life of Mrs Beeton - a household name for generations - was masked by the delicacies of the Victorians and the commercial desires of her publishers.
Martha talks to Kathryn Hughes, whose new biography shines a light into the chasm that lay between Mrs Beeton's public and private life.
The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton by Kathryn Hughes, Fourth Estate Ltd, ISBN 1841153737.