Women*s Firsts Edition 1.: Milestones in Women*s History (Women*s Reference Library)

Entries in chronological order present women involved in important moments in the arts, business, social activism, government, religion, sports, and other areas.

Grade 6-10ABrief paragraphs introduce women of achievement in 10 areas: activism, the arts, business, education, government, media, a miscellaneous mix of professions (architecture, law enforcement, law, medicine and health, and the military), religion, science and technology, and sports. The broad fields are broken into specific categories (e.g., business includes banking, business management, entrepreneurship, and inventors) and the entries are arranged chronologically within each category. Each "first" is summarized and a few biographical facts about the pioneer involved are provided. The events are mostly from the 20th century, but some older milestones are included. Many nationalities are represented, but the majority of the women are American. Because the focus is on firsts, this book looks at some interesting but somewhat obscure figures, gathering together Polish actresses, French authors, Indonesian politicians, and American entrepreneurs. However, children will not find popular report subjects such as Mother Jones, Harriet Tubman, or Annie Oakley. Each entry has a source note; however, the sources are sometimes suspect. The note for Arachne, for example, cites Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party (Anchor, 1979), which is a fascinating art book, but hardly the definitive source for Greek mythology. A glossary, time line, and cumulative index are included, and black-and-white photos and reproductions appear throughout.ARebecca O'Connell, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Although the editors are different, this set is essentially a repackaging and scaling down for a juvenile audience of a one-volume reference work of the same title published by Gale in 1997 [RBB Mr 15 97]. The scope and intent are the same: historical and cultural achievements by women of all cultures throughout history are thematically organized by broad categories--the Arts, Business, Religion, Science, etc.--with appropriate subtopics. The organization is also similar. Sections are chronologically arranged with a brief paragraph describing the event or achievement. The total number of entries is scaled down to 2,000, from 2,500 in the original. Although some entries are identical, others have been slightly rewritten for the younger audience and some are new. Some entries in this work actually provide more information.

Each entry lists brief citations to one or more sources for further information, primarily standard reference works with lengthier treatments, and also biographies and autobiographies of the woman in question. There is no separate bibliography. A standard name and subject index is also included, as well as a broad time line of events. However, this work does not include the day-by-day and annual indexes featured in the parent work. The typeface is larger and there are many illustrations, some repeated and some new.

The work is appropriate for middle-school-level or children's collections in public libraries. High schools will probably want the Gale version if it has not already been acquired.

Reference Books in brief