The Smithsonian Book of the First Ladies: Their Lives, Times, and Issues

America's first ladies are forty-three remarkable women whose individual stories and causes reflect the history of all American women.

This is the first comprehensive biography of the first ladies for young readers. Edited by Edith P. Mayo, curator of the First Ladies exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, this essential volume not only documents the lives of the presidents' wives (or official hostesses), it explores the achievements of these significant women in the White House and beyond.

Young readrs will be especially drawn by the book's eleven highlighted entries about issues important to American women, and by one hundred twenty-seven pieces of art and their captions, which tell a visual history of their own.

The Smithsonian Book of the First Ladies draws heavily on original source material. It includes images from the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, and a host of other diverse collections; four general introductions give an overview of the major events of each historical period.

Part women's history, social history, and American history, this accessible reference book is important reading not just for young women, but for anyone interested in the story of our country.

Edith P. Mayo is curator in the Division of Political History, National Museum of American History, at the Smithsonian Institution.

In addition to curating many major exhibitions on political history, Ms. Mayo was responsible for reconceptualizing the Smithsonian's permanent first ladies exhibition. Entitled "First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image," the new show is one of the Smithsonian's most popular exhibitions.

Ms. Mayo lives in Alexandria, Virginia.