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

by Marelene Rayner-Canham, Marelene F. Rayner-Canham

British chemistry has traditionally been depicted as a solely male endeavor. However, this perspective is untrue: the allure of chemistry has attracted women since the earliest times. Despite the barriers placed in their path, women studied academic chemistry from the 1880s onwards and made interesting or significant contributions to their fields, yet they are virtually absent from historical records.Comprising a unique set of biographies of 100 of the 900 known women chemists from 1880 to 1949, this work attempts to address the imbalance by showcasing the determination of these women to survive and flourish in an environment dominated by men. Individual biographical accounts interspersed with contemporary quotes describe how women overcame the barriers of secondary and tertiary education, and of admission to professional societies. Although these women are lost to historical records, they are brought together here for the first time to show that a vibrant culture of female chemists did indeed exist in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

542 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful book (and quite interesting). I find compilations like this especially helpful as they pull together quite a bit of primary source documentation which may not be available to people without the resources of the authors (either in access to archives or geographically). Beyond that it was quite a comprehensive survey of the early British Women Chemists- a group of absolutely fascinating and remarkable women.