Women Inventors & Their Discoveries (Profiles) [Hardcover]

Ethlie Ann Vare (Author), Greg Ptacek (Author)

Book Description

Series: Profiles | Publication Date: March 1993

Surveys the lives and work of such innovative women as Grace Hopper, Fannie Farmer, C. J. Walker, and Stephanie Kwolek.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 6-10. Interesting facts about 10 obscure American women who invented famous things fill the pages of this very readable book. Elizabeth Pinckney of the eighteenth century was responsible for the development of the commercial crop of indigo, the mainstay of the Southern economy before cotton. In the nineteenth century, Fannie Farmer invented the modern-day cookbook with standardized measures instead of "a handful of flour, and a lump of butter." The inventor of "liquid paper" correction fluid, the pioneer in child hygiene, the creator of cosmetics and hair products for black women, the inventor of the fiber from which bulletproof vests are made, the creator of the Barbie doll--these women are all featured. Each informative chapter is devoted to the life of one remarkable woman. The book includes many photos and a limited bibliography. For two other titles in the Profiles series, see this issue's Series Roundup. Susan DeRonne

Review

A highly recommended addition to school and community libraries, Women Inventors and Their Discoveries highlights Elizabeth Lucas Pickney who developed an indigo plant that produced a superior dye; Madam C. J. Walker who invented hair-care products for black women and used her considerable fortune to enhance the lives of others; Bette Graham who invented "liquid paper"; Grace Hopper - inventor of the computer compiler; Ruth Handler who created the Barbie doll. Also profiled are Martha Coston (signal flares); Fannie Farmer (Standardized recipes); S. Josephine Baker (child hygiene); Barbara McClintock (Nobel Prize-winning scientist); and Stephanie Kwolek (Kevlar - used in bullet-proof vests). -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Oliver Pr Inc (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881508064
• ISBN-13: 978-1881508069
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,194,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The latest offering from writer/producer Ethlie Ann Vare, LOVE ADDICT: SEX, ROMANCE AND OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS (HCI Books, Sept. 2011), takes on the addictions we don't want to talk about... and talks about them, in ways smart, funny, revealing and ultimately healing.

Ethlie is best known for writing and producing popular television shows including GENE RODDENBERRY'S ANDROMEDA, CSI, EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT, RENEGADE and SILK STALKINGS. A former rock journalist, Ethlie also worked in front of the camera as a "music gossip" on E! Entertainment Television.

Yet, surprisingly, she is an award-winning historian, whose books and lectures about women inventors are lauded worldwide. MOTHERS OF INVENTION (Wm. Morrow, 1988) and PATENTLY FEMALE (Wiley & Son, 2001) co-written with Greg Ptacek, are still the most-quoted books on the subject.