Aside from a few famous queens, warriors and religious leaders, little information is available about the many extraordinary women of the medieval and Renaissance world. This resource brings together engagingly written biographical profiles of 70 women, most of whom are "unsung," but all of whom are remarkable for their courage, initiative, and accomplishments in a world where the conventional wisdom was for women to be "chaste, silent, and obedient." The women profiled here represent 18 countries and excelled in 19 fields of endeavor. They include artists, builders, mystics, political leaders, religious activists, diarists and dramatists, poets and writers, and scholars.

As we move toward the year 2000, Americans continue to debate the job of First Lady. How much power does the position actually hold? How publicly should that power be wielded? First Ladies tells the story of this curious institution and the evolution of these women's role from ceremonial backdrop to substantive world figure. This expanded edition brings us up to the present, examining the legacies of our three most recent First Ladies: Nancy Reagan, credited with raising the job to that of "Associate President"; Barbara Bush, who took a more traditional approach); and Hillary Rodham Clinton, widely billed as the person responsible for changing the job completely. Covering all thirty-nine women from Martha Washington to our current First Lady and including the daughters, daughters-in-law, and sisters of presidents who sometimes served as First Ladies, Betty Boyd Caroli explores the background, marriage, and accomplishments and failures in office of each woman. This remarkably diverse lot included Abigail Adams, whose "remember the ladies" became a twentieth-century feminist refrain; Edith Wilson, who alone controlled access to the President when he suffered a stroke; Jane Pierce, who prayed her husband would lose the election; Helen Taft, who insisted on living in the White House, although her husband would have preferred a judgeship; and Pat Nixon, who perfected what some have called "the robot image." They ranged in age from early 20's to late 60's; some received superb educations for their time, while others had little or no schooling. Including the courageous and adventurous, the emotionally unstable, the ambitious, and the reserved, these women often did not fit the traditional expectations of a presidential helpmate. Depicting how these women used the "magic wand" given to them, Caroli reveals not only how each First Lady changed the role, but also how the role changed in response to American culture. Because of their position, these women left remarkably complete records, and their stories offer us an insider's view not only of their lives but also of the history of American women in general.

Hallie Q. Brown--teacher, international lecturer, social activist, and herself a "woman of distinction"--recreates, along with twenty-eight contributors , the lives of sixty remarkable Afro-American women, all born in the United States and Canada between the mid 1740s and the end of the nineteenth century. First published in 1926, Homespun Heroines tells the tales of slaves and social workers, artists and activists, cake makers and homemakers. In so doing, it offers unusual insight into female networks, patterns of voluntary association, work, religion, family life, and black women's culture of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This unique reference work brings together a wealth of information about pioneering women who took risks and made remarkable strides in a diversity of fields. Whether in the name of science, sport, or humanitarianism, the spirit of adventure runs through the lives of these 75 daring woman who broke down barriers as they explored the far reaches of the globe, the depths of the seas, and the lofty expanses of space. These inspiring profiles investigate a wide range of notable women from throughout history and from around the globe. Included are the familiar and famous names such as Amelia Earhart, Jane Goodall, and Margaret Mead. Lesser known but equally inspiring women for whom it is more difficult to find information are also included, from early explorers to recent role models.

This volume, the second of two companion biographical dictionaries, provides extensive entries on 31 women orators active since 1925. It covers women with distinguished political careers, such as Clare Boothe Luce, Frances Perkins, and Ann Willis Richards; women with important scientific careers, such as Rachel Carson and Helen Broinowski Caldicott; and women with religious careers, such as Dorothy Day and Pauli Murray. It includes extraordinary women, such as Helen Keller and Eleanor Roosevelt and women who have been active in the women's movement as well as those, such as Phyllis Schlafly, who have been actively anti-feminist. Each entry provides brief biographical information, focuses on an analysis of the subject's rhetoric, and concludes with information on sources.