Customer Reviews

Women in Chemistry: Their Changing Roles from Alchemical Times to the Mid-Twentieth Century (History of Modern Chemical Sciences)

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Marelene and Geoffrey Reyner-Canham's "Women in Chemistry" draws the reader in like a good collection of interwoven short stories, with compelling protagonists who persevere and excel in the face of obstacles that seem --and sometimes are--insurmountable. But of course, the "stories" are true biographies, and the authors' warm style and candid sympathy for their subjects are balanced by meticulous documentation of source material and an attention to historical accuracy and detail that lets the women's personalities shine through in their own deeds and words.
The book's greatest strength may be the personal and intellectual strengh of the more than 50 women chemists whose lives it portrays, but it is much more than a collection of biographies. Fascinating sections at the beginning and end of each chapter provide historical context, show how the women's lives were linked, and elaborate on factors that affected the success of women chemists in the historical period or chemical field treated by the chapter.
While supporting readers at many points with an concise background in the historical development of alchemical and chemical thought, the authors never take a condescending tone, and bring enough fresh aspects and details to their discussion (the Chinese women alchemists, the "informal university" provided to upper-class women by the salons of pre-revolutionary France, the birth of popular science writing in the 18th and 19th century as women sought to make science accessible to other women...) to firmly hold the interests of more knowledgable readers as well.
Unfortunately, the book doesn't get the careful editing, professional layout, and quality binding that it deserves--so five stars for content, four overall.