The Encyclopedia Of Women's History In America [Paperback]

Kathryn Cullen-dupont (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 1998

More than 500 entries examine virtually every aspect of the experiences, struggles, and achievements of women in the United States: important and pioneering figures, key events, and controversies, movements and court cases. Topics include Abigail Adams, Louisa May Alcott, Susan B. Anthony, Baby M, Backlash, Amy Beach, bra-burning, Rachel Carson, Hillary Clinton, contraception, Emily Dickinson, Amelia Earhart, Equal Rights Amendment, Eva Hesse, Anita Hill, military service, Toni Morrison, Nineteenth Amendment, Operation Rescue, Pocahontas, rape, Roe v. Wade, Salem Witchcraft Trails, Margaret Sanger, sexual harassment, and Year of the Woman.This encyclopedia also includes an appendix of pertinent documents, an extensive bibliography, and nearly four dozen photos new to this first-time paperback edition. From colonial poet Anne Bradstreet to a discussion of the “glass ceiling,” this encyclopedia is a fascinating, reliable, and up-to-date resource.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this treatment of U.S. women's history, Cullen-Dupont (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Facts on File, 1992, a YA biography) presents over 500 entries for significant events, legislative acts, court cases, organizations, individuals, and publications. Inclusion, though unpredictable, tends to favor specific named groups rather than general concepts (e.g., Operation Rescue and Roe v. Wade; nothing under abortion), and reflects the diversity of women's backgrounds and experience in the United States. Less comprehensive than Angela Zophy's Handbook of American Women's History (LJ 3/1/90), particularly concerning women's occupations and other topics in U.S. social history, this work lacks the advantage of Zophy's specialist contributors. Its emphasis is less biographical than Doris Weatherford's American Women's History (Prentice, 1994); unlike the Weatherford title, it has no illustrations but does include suggested readings after each entry, an extensive bibliography, an appendix of 34 documents, and an index (not seen). Also on the plus side are Cullen-Dupont's engaging prose style, enlivened by frequent quotes from primary sources, and good coverage of recent topics, including entries for Anita Hill, Camille Paglia, "glass ceiling," the Violence Against Women Act (1994), and Harris v. Forklift Systems. An attractive and useful purchase for high school and public libraries, and a good, reasonably priced second choice, after Zophy's work, for academic libraries.?Carolynne Myall, Eastern Washington Univ. Libs., Cheney
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

There is no shortage of encyclopedias of women's history. American Women's History [RBB Je 1 94], Handbook of American Women's History [RBB Mr 15 90], and The ABC-Clio Companion to Women's Progress in America (1994) all cover much of the same ground as this new title. Volume 3 of the Women's Studies Encyclopedia (Greenwood, 1991) covers history but is international in scope and therefore has less overlap.

The title under review covers people, significant events, organizations, legislation, court cases, and issues affecting women. Each entry is followed by a bibliography of one to five items. A bibliography at the end of the volume provides complete citations for these items. Rounding out the more than 500 entries are appendixes containing the complete texts of 34 documents ranging from a 1647 request for suffrage to a 1992 court case. A detailed index concludes the volume. A sample of entries includes Indigenous Women's Network, The Joy Luck Club, " Mommy Track," Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Rochester Convention, Women's Reserve of the Navy, and McClintock, Barbara (the geneticist).

In comparison, coverage in American Women's History also leans heavily toward biographies and organizations, but it has some topical entries not found in the encyclopedia, such as Farm Women and Flappers. American Women's History has illustrations (which the encyclopedia does not) but no bibliographies or index. The Handbook of Women's History is more scholarly in tone, with each entry signed by its contributor and followed by a lengthy scholarly bibliography. It has an index but no illustrations. The ABC-Clio Companion has no bibliographies but does contain attractive illustrations. While each of these titles has some unique entries, this newest one is useful for its entries for landmark books (Naomi Wolf's Fire with Fire, Gail Sheehy's The Silent Passage) and coverage of recent legislation (Pregnancy and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 1993). High-school and public libraries that want to beef up their collections on women's history will find The Encyclopedia of Women's History in American a useful purchase. While none of these titles is the scholarly and comprehensive encyclopedia of women's history for which many librarians and their patrons have been patiently waiting, they serve a useful purpose for the general reader. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306808684
• ISBN-13: 978-0306808685
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,255,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathryn Cullen-DuPont is the author of Global Issues: Human Trafficking (Facts On File, 1009), American Women Activists' Writings (Cooper Square Press, 2002), The Encyclopedia of Women's History in America (Facts On File, 1996, revised 2000), and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Women's History (Facts On File, 1992). She is also the co-author, with Elizabeth Frost Knappman, of Women's Suffage in America (Facts On File, 1992, revised 2005) and Women's Rights on Trial (Gale, 1997). At present, she is working on a book about women and religion, which will be published by Facts On File. She has served as a consultant to several women's history projects, including the award-winning CD-ROM project American Journey: Women in America, and she has been a guest speaker at many educational and other organizations.

Kathryn holds a B.A. from New York University and an M.F.A. from Goddard College. An adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Media Studies at Pratt Institute, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her website is at www.womenandhistory.com