Women’s studies may be a comparatively new field of inquiry, having really begun only in the late 1960s, but it is also a very fast growing area to the extent that it is extremely difficult for a scholar to keep pace with the publications that are appearing, even within their own specialist field. Furthermore, there is a paucity of good reference works on the subject. This reader’s guide is an exceptionally useful encyclopaedic guide to the literature that attempts to guide the reader to the best of the literature on over 500 topics and individuals in women’s studies. It does not attempt to be comprehensive, rather each contributor has been encouraged to select what she (or occasionally he) deems to be the most important or significant works.
Under each entry heading is given a short bibliography which usually contains around seven or eight seminal works in English on that topic or individual, although the number of titles can be as many as 12 or 14. These lists are followed by a brief discussion of each work. Many of the topics are specialised and very specific which makes the guide particularly useful for researchers, while others are quite general and would provide helpful reading lists for those who are approaching the topic as a novice. This approach is designed to assist readers of various interests and levels, from sixth form through postgraduate research students, as well as teachers in schools,colleges and universities. The main body of the work is supported by many cross references that refer the reader to related topics, an essential aid as there is inevitably a degree of overlap in the coverage of the various entries. There is also a thematic list, an author index and a general index, which together help to make this an exceptionally user friendly guide to the literature. There is also a full and annotated list of the contributors and every entry is attributed, which would act as a useful means of contact between researchers in the same field of interest.
The coverage seems to be admirably comprehensive, covering topics as diverse as Mormonism, lesbian identity, and children’s literature. The individuals included are equally diverse, ranging from Sappho through John Milton to Indira Gandhi. Given the rate at which books on women’s studies are proliferating, though, there are bound to be many topics that have been omitted or on which, as in the case of “comfort women”, there are few or no books published, and for reading material on these the reader will have to turn to the journal literature which is not covered by this guide. The scope does have a degree of American bias, which is not so surprising as this country indubitably leads the field as regards activity in this subject area. However, it must be said that a creditable attempt has been made to include contributors and topics from around the world. And certainly, the book is rather pricey, but to consult it is to save a great deal of time and effort and all in all it is certainly worth buying.
