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Library Journal Review
Limited to American women "in science" who began their careers prior to 1950, this dictionary, compiled by the life sciences librarian at Purdue University, includes all women listed in the first three editions of American Men and Women of Science (Bowker), starred names from the next four editions, women formally recognized in their field (e.g., through election to the National Academy of Sciences), women identified as scientists employed by the government, and a miscellaneous category (which includes the privately employed, authors, technical illustrators, etc.). Each entry includes full name, dates of birth and death, profession, education, employment history, and marital status, plus a biographical sketch (150-300 words) and other citing sources. More than 500 entries are included. While the coverage is somewhat erratic due to Bailey's particular definition of "in science," this is a useful book. Entries are more detailed than Cynthia Gay Binindocci's Women and Technology (LJ 6/1/93) but less comprehensive than Women in Chemistry and Physics (LJ 10/1/93). Recommended for both lay readers and scholars.-Hilary D. Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, Cal. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
CHOICE Review
This work's 400 biographies, averaging about a page in length, include dates, primary field of expertise, education, employment, and a few lines about each woman's life, work, and publications. Some of the women are well known--Rachel Carson, Margaret Mead, Lillian Gilbreth. Others are less famous: Wanda Farr, who discovered the source for cellulose; Gene Stratton Porter, the writer of nature fiction and nonfiction; and Kate Sessions, who was the founder of Balboa Park in San Diego. The entries are informative and interesting. The women highlighted here, primarily physical and natural scientists, began their careers prior to 1950 and a few as far back as the 18th century. The introductory essay discusses early educational and employment opportunities for women scientists. A few photographs are included, as is a lengthy index. Much of the information presented here appears in other sources; about 80 percent of these women have brief entries in American Men & Women of Science (1990- ). Nevertheless, this book pulls it all together in one very handy reference. General and academic libraries. K. F. Jones; California State University, Sacramento
Booklist Review
Provides biographical treatment of more than 400 women in social, physical, and medical sciences and technology who began their careers before 1950. Because science is interpreted broadly here, there are entries for women not generally found in other science reference sources--home economist Fannie Farmer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, for example. Entries are up to a page in length, and each includes a list of further sources. High school and up.
