Reader's Guide to Women's Studies

The Reader's Guide to Women's Studies includes entries on some 500 topics in women's studies. Each entry consists of a listing of the best-known books on the topic (usually 6-12) and an essay of 1000-1500 words, prepared by an expert in the field, in which these various books are thoroughly discussed. The aim of each essay is to provide advice on the range, depth of coverage, emphasis, and point of view of each publication.

In the academic world, the field of women's studies is still relatively uncharted territory. Although such programs are offered at many institutions, the interdisciplinary nature of the subject (encompassing history, literature, social science, arts, and humanities) presents a real challenge for the researcher. Aiming "to guide the reader through the mass of published work on women and gender to date," this work surveys more than 500 topics as well as individuals in women's studies and provides brief discussions of recommended books in each area. Entries are arranged alphabetically by topic and begin with a list of the relevant books followed by a bibliographic essay. Helpful features include a simple alphabetical list of entries, a thematic list of entries, a list of all books discussed in the entries, and numerous cross references within entries. Subjects range widely, from "Aboriginal Women" and "Battlefield Nursing" to "Widowhood" and "Womanism," and individual women featured include Louisa May Alcott, Marguerite Yourcenar, and "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias. Comparable sources, such as Sarah Carter and Maureen Ritchie's Women's Studies: A Guide to Information Sources (McFarland, 1990) and Catherine Loeb and others' Women's Studies: A Recommended Core of Bibliography 1980-85 (1987), as well as its 1979 predecessor, Women's Studies: A Recommended Core Bibliography, are in need of updating, and this work meets that need. A solid addition to all reference collections. Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L. Copyright 1998 Library Journal Reviews