The Palgrave handbook of women and science since 1660 (Q6487784)

This is a remarkable book. It consists of six parts; within those, there are twenty-nine chapters. NEWLINENEWLINEIn Part I, one finds the curricula vitae of the authors of the chapters, as well as a fully extended overview of the intended topic in the book, namely ``Women in the history of science: frameworks, themes and connected perspectives''. [In particular also, abbreviations are used for (scientific) organisations mainly in England, mostly not telling where these stand for. I give one of them: STEM means Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics.] Part I ends with exemplary footnotes and a list of references. [The other parts of the book do contain those features, too; highly recommended!]NEWLINENEWLINEPart II is called ``Strategies and networks''. It consist of five chapters, dealing with: The natural philosophy of Margaret Cavendish, navigating Enlightment science, The medical life of Margaret Mason, early female geologists. The remaining chapter in this part deals with Janet Taylor (1804--1870), a mathematical instrument maker and teacher of navigation; that chapter consists of 16 pages. Her life and merits are extensively exposed; good reading!NEWLINENEWLINEIn Part III, ``Making women visible: institutions, archives, and inclusion'' is investigated in five chapters. The authors have done research in many archives, such as the Royal Geographic Society, the appearances of women in the so-called Royal Society Soirée before the Great War, the rôle of women's universities in ensuring access to STEM education and research careers in Japan (!), internationalism and women mathematicians at the University of Göttingen. That last topic (by Renate Tobies) consists of 19 pages. She gives a very detailed impression of the difficult problems women had to overcome in obtaining admission in universities and obtaining doctor-degrees, especially in the years 1900--1940. In particular, Felix Klein has been a strong personality in obtaining female visitors and positions for women at the Göttingen mathematics department. [Such troubles are comparable with those in the Netherlands, the reviewer's country, up to 1957. Only after that year, all women were allowed to obtain jobs in educational institutes. Before 1957, only unmarried women were allowed by law to work in such institutions; married women were regarded to be ``handelings-onbekwaam'', meaning in English ``not capable of acting''.] Anyway, as to mathematics, Renate Tobies' chapter is a gem!NEWLINENEWLINEIn Part IV, ``Cultures of science'' are exposed. One finds a chapter on the female members of the Herschel family in respect to their education in astronomy. Also domestic education in astronomy in the 17th and 18th century is explained and worked out. There is also a chapter on Darwin and the feminists, as well as a chapter on Ada Lovelace by the author Corinna Schlombs. That chapter has to do with women, gender, and computing: 26 pages with all kinds of information! Part IV closes with topics about women in learned societies in India and with the influence of women dealing with the periodic system of the elements in nature.NEWLINENEWLINEIn Part V, ``Science communication'' has been considered. Five chapters at all, dealing with mediating knowledge, philosophy, scientific illustration, public education, representing women in STEM, in science-based film and television.NEWLINENEWLINEIn Part VI, one has ``Access, diversity and practice''. Six chapters in all. Such as: Rethinking women's pivotal contributions in 19th-century ``physical sciences''; the admission of women to the British and Irish medical professions (1850--1920); how women became professional engineers before the mid-20th century; women and surgery after the Great War; technology users versus technology inventors and why we should care. And last but not least, the chapter by June Barrow-Green and Tony Royle: ``The work of British women mathematicians during the First World War''; 24 pages. Phantastic stuff, in the best meaning of the words!NEWLINENEWLINESummarising, in this book, one gets an enormous amount of details and information, about the educational problems regarding women, as well as very complete details about the life of the women involved. The book deals for, let us say, 75\% in respect to the British Isles and the rest in respect to elsewhere.NEWLINENEWLINEAs a reviewer, from time to time I read in the book. Highly recommended!