Similar to the Continuum Dictionary of Women's Biography (Continuum, 1989), the Larousse Dictionary of Women is the more substantive of the two works considered here. International in scope, it contains about 3000 biographical sketches of notable women from ancient times to the present. The sketches are two or three paragraphs long and offer quotations, a chronology, and sometimes photographs. About half of these sketches have been gleaned by Larousse staffer Parry from previous Larousse dictionaries, while the remainder are new. Baldwin (Triumph Over the Odds: Inspirational Success Stories, Carol Pub., 1994) has a more limited goal in presenting women who have excelled in traditionally male fields, i.e., law, science, sports, journalism, politics, and business. Despite the title, nearly all of the women profiled are from the 20th century. These profiles are about two pages in length and informal, almost chatty, in tone. Since 106 women are profiled, inevitably there are omissions, e.g., Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman physician in America. Nearly half of Baldwin's subjects are not in the Larousse work. Although Baldwin includes a short list of sources, neither book offers any bibliographic references on individuals. The Larousse work could be a companion to the Continuum work in a public or academic reference collection. Baldwin's book is a marginal purchase for reference collections but may be appropriate for popular circulating collections.?Patricia A. Beaber, Coll. of New Jersey, Trenton
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
This dictionary profiles 3,000 women from all parts of the world from biblical times to the present. Twentieth-century Western women dominate because more information is available on them. Women from all fields, such as Patsy Cline, Olga Korbut, and Marion Zimmer Bradley, can be found, along with George Eliot, Maria Montessori, and Frances Willard. Arranged alphabetically, entries contain a header identifying birth/death dates and what the woman was noted for. Most of the entries are several paragraphs long, but those for Elizabeth I of England and Marie Curie are a page in length. The entries are very current, noting a 1996 death date for Greer Garson and two 1996 Golden Globes for Emma Thompson. Internal cross-references to related biographies are noted in bold type. More than 130 black-and-white portraits are included. Some are of poor quality, such as the one of Jane Addams, which is grainy. British terms are used, such as in the entry on Lizzie Borden, who was accused of killing her "14-stone stepmother." The work also has several typographical errors, such as "Natachitoches" for "Natchitoches" under Kate Chopin. The work concludes with "A Women's Chronology," quotes by "Women on Women," and quotes by "Men on Women."
Continuum Dictionary of Women's Biography (1989), edited by Jennifer Uglow, is another one-volume work on women in all fields. It has fewer entries but does classify the women by occupation in an index. Its currency makes the Larousse Dictionary of Women a welcome addition to public, school, and academic libraries.
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