Chemistry Was Their Life: Pioneer British Women Chemists, 1880-1949

Despite the old assertion that "women didn't do that sort of thing," women not only did chemistry in Britain between 1880 and 1949, but a lot of women were chemists during those years. The Rayner-Canhams (Physics [Marelene] and Chemistry [Geoff], Memorial University of Newfoundland) present biographies of 141 women chemists (out of the 896 known) , clearly showing that British women were willing and able to break down the barriers keeping them out of chemistry. Organized mainly by university and chemistry subdiscipline, the book does much to put women back into the history of chemistry. Scholarly but eminently readable, this book will appeal to readers interested women's history and the history of science. Annotation 2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)