In 1894 the redoubtable Mildred Ransom set up a 'Copying Bureau' to generate work for herself and other respectable women beyond the usual roles of nurse or governess. Starting with one typewriter in a single room above a chemist's shop, she rapidly expanded into elegant chambers on the Edgware Road and finally a grand house in Cumberland Place. The Bureau's varied clientele provides an evocative snapshot of the age. From Lords, socialites, authors, scientists and politicians to quacks, spivs and charlatans - all of life poured through its doors. Often working for both sides in scandalous...