The biography uses the closed collection of papers left by Sheppard and archival material from Sherborne School; his Cambridge colleges, Sussex County Cricket Club; the MCC; and the Mayflower Family Centre. The author is conducting interviews with over 150 individuals who knew Sheppard and uses material already in the public domain.
Focusing on Victorian women of faith, this interdisciplinary study examines their portrayal in both fiction and non-fiction. It highlights the impact of the "Angel in the House" ideal, as articulated in Coventry Patmore's poem, on the representations of religious women. Key figures analyzed include novelists like George Eliot and Elizabeth Gaskell, as well as hymnwriters and artists from the Aesthetic Movement. The book provides a comprehensive look at how various writers depicted the complexities of women's religious experiences during the Victorian era.