Pioneering Women in American Mathematics (History of Mathematics) [Hardcover]

Judy Green and Jeanne LaDuke (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0821843761 | ISBN-13: 978-0821843765 | Publication Date: December 16, 2008

More than 14 percent of the PhD's awarded in the United States during the first four decades of the twentieth century went to women, a proportion not achieved again until the 1980s. This book is the result of a study in which the authors identified all of the American women who earned PhD's in mathematics before 1940, and collected extensive biographical and bibliographical information about each of them. By reconstructing as complete a picture as possible of this group of women, Green and LaDuke reveal insights into the larger scientific and cultural communities in which they lived and worked. The book contains an extended introductory essay, as well as biographical entries for each of the 228 women in the study. The authors examine family backgrounds, education, careers, and other professional activities. They show that there were many more women earning PhD's in mathematics before 1940 than is commonly thought. The material will be of interest to researchers, teachers, and students in mathematics, history of mathematics, history of science, women's studies, and sociology. The data presented about each of the 228 individual members of the group will support additional study and analysis by scholars in a large number of disciplines. Co-published with the London Mathematical Society beginning with Volume 4. Members of the LMS may order directly from the AMS at the AMS member price. The LMS is registered with the Charity Commissioners.

Editorial Reviews

Review

What a service Judy Greene and Jeanne LaDuke have done the mathematics community! Approximately thirty years of research have produced a detailed picture of graduate mathematics for women in the United States before 1940. ... The book is well-organized and well-written, and I recommend it heartily to all. ---- AWM Newslette

...there is beauty in this book's structural simplicity. There is no doubt that [this book] is invaluable as an archive for future analysis. The book opens with an interesting and lucidly written 'essay' (which, at eight chapters and over one hundred pages, has more in common with a dissertation) that highlights trends in the biographical data. ... Each of the book's biographical entries fascinates. ... With Pioneering Women in Mathematics and its accompanying website, Green and LaDuke provide a wealth of data to counter the effects of erasure that so often accompany women's lives. ---- BSHM Bulletin: Journal of the British Society for the History of Mathematics

[This book] is well and thoroughly researched. ... [it] provides a wealth of data in the form of charts and tables that present information on schools, career trends, and other matters pertaining to the graduate education of women in mathematics during this time period, as well as trends in the development of graduate programs in mathematics in general. As such, the volume, along with the Web site, provides an important contribution to the study of the evolution of advanced mathematics education, and the education of women, in the United States. ---- Isis

Product Details

• Hardcover: 345 pages
• Publisher: American Mathematical Society (December 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821843761
• ISBN-13: 978-0821843765
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,052,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History of Women Mathematicians, February 27, 2010

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Lucy Henry - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pioneering Women in American Mathematics (History of Mathematics) (Hardcover)

Meticulously researched, this book offers an in-depth look at a particular group of interesting women: those who obtained the Ph.D. in mathematics before 1940. The brief biographical entry for each of the 228 women is more a well-written and appreciative "portrait" than a mere listing of historical facts. As a whole, the entries provide the rich background from which the authors draw historical overviews and conclusions about the accomplishments (both great and mundane) of these women. Some of the women became famous; many did not. The surprisingly readable and accessible essay by LaDuke and Green puts these women into historical perspective. It is great fun to refer to the individual entries that augment and reinforce the authors' conclusions. The work (and the accompanying free website that gives even more biographical and bibliographical detail) is a brilliant piece of research and scholarship.