Notable Women in World History: A Guide to Recommended Biographies and Autobiographies

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

This guide should enable students, librarians and general readers to identify biographies and autobiographies of 500 notable women throughout world history. It will also assist students and general readers in selecting notable women about whom they would like to know more. Spanning from 1503 BC to the present, the guide features entries on historical and contemporary women from 60 countries who have achieved recognition in more than 50 fields of endeavour. It annotates more than 1300 recommended books published since 1970 about these women. The heading of each entry identifies the woman's birth/death dates, country of birth and field of endeavour. The entry contains a brief biographical sketch of the woman and an annotated list of up to five recommended biographies, autobiographies, letter collections, or journals concerning her life. Three appendices listing women according to year of birth, country of birth and main field of interest, acquired title, or occupation should help researchers locate women from specific time periods, countries or professions. The guide offers the researcher opportunities to learn about a number of women whose lives and achievements may not have been adequately recognized. The author notes that, in recent years, feminist scholars have helped improve the quality of biographies about women with thoughtful accounts of their lives. Still, many notable women have not been written about, nor have they written any autobiographies. Four main criteria for inclusion in this guide apply: that the woman was born outside the United States, that she made a noteworthy contribution to society, that a full-length biography published about her or reprinted since 1970 be available, and that the biography be listed in the Library of Congress catalogue.

Reviews

.,."the entries are interesting enough in themselves to invite perusal. A student can use this reference for a short biography on women not found in other references, to locate published material on a specific woman, or to find ideas for a research topic. ...Highly recommended."-The Book Report
"Both a guide to biographies and a biographical dictionary itself, Adamson's guide offers capsule biographies of 500 of history's most notable women and annotates some 1,300 biographical works about them....Since few of these women are covered in St. James Guide to Biography, (1991) this [book] will help students and librarians select the best biographies of these women for study or for library acquisition."-Rettig on Reference
...the entries are interesting enough in themselves to invite perusal. A student can use this reference for a short biography on women not found in other references, to locate published material on a specific woman, or to find ideas for a research topic. ...Highly recommended.-The Book Report
[E]xtremely useful....Adamson must be commended for the process and the criteria she used in creating this reference guide.-Journal of World History
Both a guide to biographies and a biographical dictionary itself, Adamson's guide offers capsule biographies of 500 of history's most notable women and annotates some 1,300 biographical works about them....Since few of these women are covered in St. James Guide to Biography, (1991) this [book] will help students and librarians select the best biographies of these women for study or for library acquisition.-Rettig on Reference
Notable Women in World History is a useful addition to academic, public, and high-school libraries. It would be especially useful for women's studies collections. The price, coverage, and information make it a worthy purchase.-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
Recommended for academic reference collections, high school and beyond, and for larger public libraries.-Choice
"Extremely useful....Adamson must be commended for the process and the criteria she used in creating this reference guide."-Journal of World History
..."the entries are interesting enough in themselves to invite perusal. A student can use this reference for a short biography on women not found in other references, to locate published material on a specific woman, or to find ideas for a research topic. ...Highly recommended."-The Book Report
"[E]xtremely useful....Adamson must be commended for the process and the criteria she used in creating this reference guide."-Journal of World History
"Notable Women in World History is a useful addition to academic, public, and high-school libraries. It would be especially useful for women's studies collections. The price, coverage, and information make it a worthy purchase."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
"Recommended for academic reference collections, high school and beyond, and for larger public libraries."-Choice

Author Bio

LYNDA G. ADAMSON is Professor of Literature and Chair of the Writing Department at Prince George's Community College in Maryland. She is also author of Recreating the Past: A Guide to American and World Historical Fiction for Children and Young Adults (Greenwood, 1994), A Reference Guide to Historical Fiction for Children and Young Adults (Greenwood, 1987), Literature Connections to American History, K-6 (1997), Literature Connections to American History, 7-12 (1997), Literature Connections to World History, K-6 (1998), and Literature Connections to World History, 7-12 (1998).