Read complete books and articles on: Famous Women

At Questia, we offer:

Exclusive access to more than 67,000 books and 1.5 million articles.
Trusted resources from leading publishers.
Time saving tools to do better, faster research!

16 of the Best Books and Articles on: Famous Women

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

We the Women: Career Firsts of Nineteenth-Century America » Read Now
by Madeleine B. Stern. 410 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...that he was said to be a brother of the famous actor, Barry Sullivan. Although he never...Grisi, Cerito and Grahn --the "most famous divertissement " in the history of...
2.

Extraordinary Women of the Medieval and Renaissance World: A Biographical Dictionary » Read Now
by Carole Levin, Debra Barrett-Graves, Jo Eldridge Carney, W. M. Spellman, Gwynne Kennedy, Stephanie Witham. 327 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

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...
Read More

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.
Show less
3.

First Ladies » Read Now
by Betty Boyd Caroli. 436 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

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...
Read More

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.
Show less
4.

Great Women of the Press » Read Now
by Madelon Golden Schilpp, Sharon M. Murphy. 256 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
5.

Eminent Women of the Age: Being Narratives of the Lives and Deeds of the Most Prominent Women of the Present Generation (1869) » Read Now
by James Parton. 628 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...York" that afterwards became famous. They were the precursors of...newspaper correspondence, in which women have so large a share, and...worthy of mention. In those days...
6.

Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction » Read Now
by Hallie Q. Brown. 248 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

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...
Read More

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.
Show less
7.

Ahead of Their Time: A Biographical Dictionary of Risk-Taking Women » Read Now
by Joyce Duncan. 313 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

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...
Read More

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.
Show less
8.

Women Public Speakers in the United States, 1925-1993: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook » Read Now
by Karlyn Kohrs Campbell. 491 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

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...
Read More

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.
Show less
9.

Notable Women in the Physical Sciences: A Biographical Dictionary » Read Now
by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer. 484 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Notable Women in the Physical Sciences features substantive biographical essays on 96 world and American women scientists who have made significant contributions to the physical sciences from antiquity to the present. The essays go beyond basic facts found in standard biographical dictionaries...
Read More

Notable Women in the Physical Sciences features substantive biographical essays on 96 world and American women scientists who have made significant contributions to the physical sciences from antiquity to the present. The essays go beyond basic facts found in standard biographical dictionaries, bringing to life the women's developmental influences, the obstacles they faced and overcame, and their efforts to contribute in their chosen professions in spite of sometimes overwhelming disapproval by the establishment. The emphasis is on 20th-century women, and many of the living scientists profiled contributed interviews and autobiographical statements, that add a vital and unique element to their profiles. Entries have been written by 70 practicing scientists and researchers who explain the scientific work clearly, in terms familiar to general readers and high school students.
Show less
10.

Notable Women in Mathematics: A Biographical Dictionary » Read Now
by Charlene Morrow, Teri Perl. 302 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This volume features substantive biographical essays on 59 women from around the world who have made significant contributions to mathematics from antiquity to the present. Designed for secondary school students and the general public, each profile describes major life events, obstacles faced and...
Read More

This volume features substantive biographical essays on 59 women from around the world who have made significant contributions to mathematics from antiquity to the present. Designed for secondary school students and the general public, each profile describes major life events, obstacles faced and overcome, educational and career milestones--including a discussion of mathematical research in non-technical terms--and interests outside of mathematics. Although the collection includes historical women, the emphasis is on contemporary mathematicians, many of whom have not been profiled in any previous work. Also included are the contributions of minority women, including 10 African-American, Latina, and Asian mathematicians.
Show less
11.

Biographical Dictionary of Congressional Women » Read Now
by Karen Foerstel. 304 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This comprehensive reference guide to women who have served in Congress provides detailed biographies of each of the 200 women who have held office on Capitol Hill over the past 80 years. Along with statistics on their congressional service, the biographies contain first-hand interviews and personal...
Read More

This comprehensive reference guide to women who have served in Congress provides detailed biographies of each of the 200 women who have held office on Capitol Hill over the past 80 years. Along with statistics on their congressional service, the biographies contain first-hand interviews and personal anecdotes. An introduction outlines women's history in Congress and their slow rise to prominence.
Show less
12.

Rediscovering Women Philosophers: Philosophical Genre and the Boundaries of Philosophy » Read Now
by Catherine Villanueva Gardner. 202 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Catherine Villanueva Gardner is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan at Flint.
13.

The Roosevelt Women » Read Now
by Betty Boyd Caroli. 512 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The Roosevelt name conjures up images of powerful presidents and dashing men of high society. In The Roosevelt Women, Betty Boyd Caroli finally gives the women of the remarkable Roosevelt clan their due. An exceptionally gifted historian, Caroli weaves together stories culled from a rich store of...
Read More

The Roosevelt name conjures up images of powerful presidents and dashing men of high society. In The Roosevelt Women, Betty Boyd Caroli finally gives the women of the remarkable Roosevelt clan their due. An exceptionally gifted historian, Caroli weaves together stories culled from a rich store of letters, memoirs, and interviews to chronicle nine extraordinary Roosevelt women across a century and a half of turbulent history.
Show less
14.

Women Artists of Color: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook to 20th Century Artists in the Americas » Read Now
by Phoebe Farris. 502 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Critical essays on 20th-century female artists of color focus on how these distinguised artists achieved success, what makes their work important--both to the art world and to their specific communities--and what influences their work is likely to have in the future. The artists are representative...
Read More

Critical essays on 20th-century female artists of color focus on how these distinguised artists achieved success, what makes their work important--both to the art world and to their specific communities--and what influences their work is likely to have in the future. The artists are representative of four ethnic groups: African American, Asian Pacific American, Latin American, and Native American. Parallels drawn explore the similarities and differences among the artists. The early feminist art movement of the 1970s concentrated on gender with less consideration given to race or class, yet to many artists of color, ethnicity factors significantly into the shaping of their identities and to the content of their art. Women artists of color have expanded the scope of protest art, fusing the past and current history with gender and race and deconstructing stereotypical mainstream representations of their gender and ethnic identities. This presentation of artists balances older and deceased artists with the younger, emerging artists. The artistic mediums span the gamut from traditional painting and sculpture to newer forms such as video, conceptual, and performance art.
Show less
15.

East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart » Read Now
by Susan Butler. 489 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
16.

Helen and Teacher: The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy » Read Now
by Joseph P. Lash. 812 pgs.

Collections: History, Education, Entire Library

...documenting and understanding the varied lives of women. Exploring the choices and circumstances of these extraordinary women--both famous and unsung-- is not merely of...