The Ultimate Women in Science Reading List: 150 Essential Titles

A bibliography of great women in science biographies and memoirs to share with those who are looking to start their own collection or who are just looking for an off-the-beaten-path scientist to spend some time with." (via Women You Should Know: https://goo.gl/Njb9it )

from DALE DEBAKCSY, the DECEMBER 26, 2018 on WomenYouShoudKnow.net

December 16 saw my fifth anniversary of writing the Illustrated Women in Science column, and of the many ways that occurred to me to celebrate, the one I thought would be most useful would be to tramp through the Women in Science bookshelves whose contents I have been assembling for the past couple decades and write down, once and for all, a bibliography of great women in science biographies and memoirs, to share with those who are looking to start their own collection or who are just looking for an off-the-beaten-path scientist to spend some time with. Here then are 150 from the shelves, arranged alphabetically by scientist, with a few words here and there when the spirit moves me! Dig in, and happy collecting!

The Ultimate Women in Science Reading List: 150 Essential Titles

December 16 saw my fifth anniversary of writing the Illustrated Women in Science column, and of the many ways that occurred to me to celebrate, the one I thought would be most useful would be to ...

https://womenyoushouldknow.net/ultimate-women-in-science-reading-list/

Support WomenYSK Now!

1. The World of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Mathematician of God.  Massimo Mazzotti, 2007 

2. A Matter of Choices: Memoirs of a Female Physicist. Faye Ajzenberg-Selove, 1994

This is a tough one to track down, but worth it for the insight it gives into the particular difficulties women faced in mid-century physics departments.

3. On Her Own Terms: Annie Montague Alexander and the Rise of Science in the American West. Barbara R. Stein, 2001.

 Alexander was a tough as nails field biologist who put the natural science of the Western United States on the map academically, and this book captures both her amazing scientific method and unbreakable adventuring spirit.

4. Baboon Mothers and Infants. Jeanne Altmann, 1980

Altmann wrote the book on how to perform statistically rigorous field studies of behavior, and this is that book.  Come for the compelling tales of baboon social life, stay for the charts and graphs!

5. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Jo Manton, 1965

6. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Louisa Garrett Anderson

This is my go-to Anderson biography, but there’s a non-zero chance that’s because I’ll always choose a century old tome over a merely fifty year old one whenever given the chance.

7. The Natural Philosophy of Plant Form. Agnes Arber, 1950

Arber brings the history of early botanical theory to life, and ends with a call for a new approach to plant development that is stirring even now, three quarters of a century later. It’s also pretty dense in terms of botanical terminology, so maybe not your FIRST choice for a quick Winter’s read.

8. The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World. Shelley Emling, 2009

A fun book about a woman who is finally coming into the recognition she’s deserved for some centuries now. Thrill as Anning discovers some of the great paleontological specimens of the 19th century, and growl as she is routinely ground into poverty by the callous fossil hunting glory hounds of her day.

9. Hertha Ayrton, A Memoir. Evelyn Sharp, 1926

Another hard one to find, but so worth it.  Sharp knew Ayrton, and that brings a personal touch to Ayrton’s compelling early 20th century tale of ground-breaking electrical and fluid studies that’s magical in its way.

10. Pour un monde sans sida: Un combat partage. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, 2012

Barre-Sinoussi’s autobiography is part scientific memoir, part peek into the ins and outs of global health policy, and everywhere engaging.  Yes, it’s in French, but there isn’t an overabundance of technical jargon, so a normal familiarity with the language will see you through.

11. Fighting for Life. S. Josephine Baker, 1939

A classic memoir, now thankfully back in print, of one woman’s energetic attempt to bring sensibility and science to the sanitation policies of early 20th century America.

12. Laura Bassi and Science in 18th Century Europe: The Extraordinary Life and Role of Italy’s Pioneering Female Professor. Monique Frize, 2013

There need to be more books about Laura Bassi, both for the work she did and for the importance of her example. So many women scientists have traced inspiration to tales they read of Bassi that a whole volume could be made of those connections alone.  In the meantime, we have this book, and it’s entirely fine.

13. Mabel Bell: Alexander’s Silent Partner.  Lilias M. Toward, 1996

14. My Life in a Man-Made Jungle. Belle J. Benchley, 1940

I love Belle Benchley.  Her approach to developing the San Diego Zoo improved the lives of animals the planet over. This is one of her books detailing her observations about several of her favorite animals from her time at the zoo, and sure it can tend towards the anthropomorphic but it’s just so damn charming you don’t care.

15. The Zoo Lady: Belle Benchley and the San Diego Zoo. Margaret Poynter, 1980

6. Ruth Benedict: Stranger in this Land. Margaret M. Caffrey, 1989

17. Elizabeth Blackburn and the Story of Telomeres: Deciphering the Ends of DNA. Catherine Brady, 2007

So, what’s it like being a woman of science NOW? Blackburn‘s success in studying and unlocking the many potential roles of telomeres while developing a woman-friendly research lab that cranked out a continuous stream of ground-breaking work is as good an example as you’ll ever find.

18. Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women. Elizabeth Blackwell, 1895

19. The Excellent Doctor Blackwell: The Life of the First Woman Physician. Julia Boyd, 2013

Everybody should have a Blackwell book somewhere on the shelves.  There are a few out there, but this one is perhaps my favorite.

20. Harriet Brooks: Pioneer Nuclear Scientist. Marelene & Geoffrey Rayner-Canham, 1995

The Rayner-Canhams are LEGENDS in the world of women scientist research, and this book is one of my favorites, not only because Harriet Brooks’s story has such dizzying highs and abysmally Babbittish lows, but because it is written with such obvious care and admiration.

21. Mary Ingraham Bunting: Her Two Lives. Elaine Yaffe, 2005

22. Betsy Cadwaladyr: A Balaclava Nurse. An Autobiography of Elizabeth Davis. Betsy Cadwaladyr, 1857

Cadwaladyr’s story is an exotic adventure of the type no longer possible, and is worth reading just to see how much living could be crammed into a life back when people guarded their time less dearly.

23. Helen Caldicott: A Desperate Passion, An Autobiography. Helen Caldicott, 1996

24. In the Footsteps of Columbus. Annie J. Cannon, 1893

The few pages of introductory biography about Annie Jump Cannon in this curious, long out of print volume are still the best source for sustained information about Cannon that you’ll get.

25. The Epigenetics Revolution. Nessa Carey, 2012

Support WomenYSK Now!

26. Junk DNA. Nessa Carey, 2015

27. Rachel Carson, Witness for Nature. Linda Lear, 1997

28. Margaret the First: A Biography of Margaret Cavendish Duchess of Newcastle. Douglas Grant, 1957

A writer of grand science fantasy from the 17th century, she took on Descartes and Hobbes as intellectual equals and shamed them both.  Grant captures the high drama of the English Civil War and Cavendish’s unique place within it, as well as the acts of high fancy and scientific curiosity that led her to such unique success in British academic life.

29. Seduced by Logic: Emilie Du Chatelet, Mary Somerville and the Newtonian Revolution. Robyn Arianrhod, 2011

I still hate the title, but dearly love the book.  Somerville and Chatelet are two first-rank heroes of mathematics and of the subtle art of bringing the cutting edge of scientifico-mathematical research to the public.

30. Insects: Their Secret World. Evelyn Cheesman, 1952

31. Spectral Graph Theory. Fan Chung, 1994

You won’t find out anything about Fan Chung’s life from this, but you might learn some spectral graph theory, and that’s worth it all by itself.

32. Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastards: The Life of a Wartime Celebrity. Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, 2005

She was a national celebrity representing the friendship between China and the United States during the Second World War, only to become a liability in the dark ages of the Cold War, but her story as a successful doctor and cultural symbol is so wonderfully improbable that you can give this paper to just about anybody with confidence that they’ll enjoy it.

33. Lady With a Spear. Eugenie Clark, 1951

This is one of those foundational books in the history of women in science. So many modern marine biologists cite it as a profound influence on them, and their ability to imagine themselves as scientists, and its sense of wonder and awe are still plainly there for those who seek it.

34. The Lady and the Sharks. Eugenie Clark, 2010

35. Agnes Mary Clerke & The Rise of Astrophysics. Mary Bruck, 2002

Great science writers don’t often get their due, but this book about Clerke shows us just how important a pillar of scientific thought she was, bringing together through her writings and correspondence an entire world of astrophysical research.

36. NMR and Biochemistry: A Symposium Honoring Mildred Cohn. S.J. Opella, 1979

37. Handbook of Nature Study. Anna Bostford Comstock, 1939

Comstock’s massive text aimed at showing science teachers ways to communicate the majesty of nature to their students through guided outdoor investigations, and as such might have had a greater impact on the improvement of science education than any other book in the 20th century and, hey, it’s still available!

38. Crucible of Science: The Story of the Cori Laboratory. John H. Exton, 2013

39. For the Love of Enzymes. Arthur Kornberg, 1989

40. Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic Patient, H.M. Suzanne Corkin, 2013

Corkin’s methods have come under scrutiny since her recent passing, but this scientific memoir detailing her decades of scientific interaction with the patient H.M. is a chilling classic of just how thin a wire our sense of self is balanced upon.

41. Irene Joliot-Curie. Noelle Loriot, 1991

I suspect that, no matter how many more books about women scientists I read in my life, this one will always be in my top 10.  Brisk and charming, it brings Irene bursting to life as both a scientist and a fascinating, energetic, frustrating, brilliant human being.  It is in French but, as with Barre-Sinoussi, the language is clear and jargon-free so should be accessible to just about anyone.

42. Madam Curie: A Biography. Eve Curie, 1937

The first, and still one of the best.

43. Grand Obsession: Madame Curie and Her World. Rosalyn Pflaum, 1989

44. Marie Curie: A Life. Susan Quinn, 1995

Still my favorite Marie Curie biography. Quinn, who we’ll meet again later, is a rigorous researcher, and her rich evocation of Polish life and education under the thumb of the tsar is a tour de force performance.

45. Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie. Barbara Goldsmith, 2005

46. Emma Darwin: The Inspirational Wife of a Genius. Edna Healey, 2001

I’ll be honest, this one has sat on the shelves year after year and I always find a reason to read something else instead of it.  Maybe it’s the title.  I’d like to think I’m not that superficial, but I also know that I definitely am.

47. The Zuni Enigma: A Native American People’s Possible Japanese Connection. Nancy Yaw Davis, 2000

48. “Zwar sind es weibliche Haende”: Die Botanikerin und Paedagogin Catharina Helena Dörrien (1717-1795). Regina Viereck, 2000

Dörrien was an internationally respected scientist during the 1700s whose reputation faded to near nothingness in the centuries to follow. Viereck has brought her back to life again in this wonderful book, however, and if you have German as a language you read easily, this is a key book to have.

49. A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution. Jennifer Doudna & Samuel Sternberg, 2017

Doudna and Charpentier’s development of CRISPR gene editing technology will probably, when all is said and done, be the century’s landmark development in biology, and to hear its genesis and refinement detailed by Doudna herself is an opportunity not to be missed.

50. A Passion for Space: Adventures of a Pioneering Female NASA Flight Controller. Marianne J. Dyson, 2016

Another book that is hard to find, but as a portrait of what it was like to be a NASA flight controller in the years when NASA was just figuring out what its policy about women was it is indispensable in the history of gender in science and space exploration.

51. Alice Eastwood’s Wonderland: The Adventures of a Botanist.  Carol Green Wilson, 1955

52. Mileva Einstein: Une Vie.  Desanka Trbuhovic-Gjuric, 1988

This is the French translation of Trbuhovic-Gjuric’s incredibly controversial work on Albert Einstein’s first wife.  The original is in German, but every time I have looked for it it is far outside of my price range.  The debate has moved on since this work first debuted, but as an introduction to the central issues it is indispensable.

53. Dorothea Christiana Erxleben: Weibliche Gelehrsamkeit und medizinische Profession seit dem 18. Jahrhundert.  Eva Brinkschulte, 2006

THIS book.  As a reference of the state of 18th century medicine as professionalization shoved experienced and skilled local practitioners to the periphery, and as a source on the fantastic life of an 18th century woman pioneer, it is a great source, but whoever did the page layout should be flung into the Howling Abyss.

54. Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside.  Katrina Firlik, 2006

55. Gorillas in the Mist. Dian Fossey, 1983

Required Reading. That is all.

56. Woman in the Mists: The Story of Dian Fossey and the Mountain Gorillas of Africa. Farley Mowat, 1987

Mowat attempts to piece together the magnificent life and brutal death of Fossey in a book that is a moving tribute to her spirit and condemnation of the greed, both academic and economic, of those around her.

57. Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA.  Brenda Maddox, 2002

Is it my favorite book ever about any woman scientist? It is. Poignant and scientifically thorough, it’s a book I’ll come back to every five years and find new things to enjoy. If you get just one book on this list, it should be this one.

58. Anna Freud: A Biography. Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, 1988

Young-Bruehl rescued Anna Freud from the depths of the Freud wars in this sympathetic and compelling book about her massive significance in the treatment of children suffering from violence and isolation. It’s a book that shows the psychoanalytic method at its very best.

59. A Passion for Physics: The Story of a Woman Physicist. Joan Freeman, 1991

60. The Woman Who Smashed Codes. Jason Fagone, 2017

61. Viral Oncogenesis and Cell Differentiation: The Contributions of Charlotte Friend. Leila Diamond, ed, 1989

62. Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo. Birute M. F. Galdikas, 1995

If you have a student in your life who doubts that they can handle the hardships of field work, these memoirs by Galdikas are an inspiration in fortitude.  Physical illness, emotional betrayal, governmental conspiracy, Galdikas faced them all and came out having rewritten the reputation of the orangutan’s world.

63. Prime Mystery: The Life and Mathematics of Sophie Germain. Dora E. Musielak, 2015

Musielak has written a fictional account of Germain’s life which I keep telling myself I’ll pick up but haven’t gotten around to yet.  This is a straight up biography, and does a great job explaining the complicated tale of Germain’s mathematical endeavors as she sought to gain recognition by solving problems via correspondence with Europe’s great minds under the name of a man.

64. Jellyfish: Their Natural History. Lisa-Ann Gershwin, 2016

65. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth: Partners for Life. Edna Yost, 1949

There were people who wrote about women in science before Yost, but she was the first who made the study of the subject her life’s work.  Most of her books are collections of profiles of groundbreaking women in science and some of those are, sadly, still our only source of substance for those women, but in this work she concentrated on the industrial psychological work of Lillian Gilbreth, and it is a wonderful story.  Edna Yost is my Stan Lee when it comes to women in science, and every time I can get her books in people’s hands I’m happy.

66. Making Time: Lillian Moller Gilbreth – A Life Beyond “Cheaper By the Dozen.”  Jane Lancaster, 2004

67. Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man. Dale Peterson, 2006

Another top 5 book for me, Peterson’s account of Goodall’s life is brimming with colorful characters and psychological insight.  As much as you love Jane Goodall now (and we all do), you will love her all the more when you read this beautiful book.

68. Alice Hamilton: A Life in Letters. Barbara Sicherman, 1984

69. The Fungus Fighters: Two Women Scientists and Their Discovery. Richard S. Baldwin, 1981

This is a dual biography of Hazen & Brown, the women who discovered the world’s first reliable, non-toxic anti-fungal treatment at a time when it was dreadfully necessary. Baldwin covers the key years of their work, but then goes into equal detail of their engagement with industry and development of new foundations which gives insight into the practical side of the science industry that most biographies don’t delve into.

70. The Comet Sweeper: Caroline Herschel’s Astronomical Ambition. Claire Brock, 2007

71. Caroline Herschel: Priestess of the New Heavens. Michael Hoskin, 2013

When it comes to the profoundly talented Herschel family, Hoskin is the source. He’s devoted a life and several volumes to detailing their various gifts, and this stand alone book about Caroline carries all the excitement and grit of modern astronomy’s second great age.

72. The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell. Rachel Herz, 2007

73. The Stars Belong to Everyone: How to Enjoy Astronomy. Helen Sawyer Hogg, 1976

Before we had Sagan, we had Hogg. She made the night sky come alive in her work, and you can see all that descriptive poetry mixed with hard science in this volume of hers. Hard to find in the wild, you can still get copies on Alibris for a song.

74. Dorothy Hodgkin: A Life. Georgina Ferry, 2014

I believe this was Ferry’s first book, which is astounding as it is a damn near perfect mixture of scientific investigation with narrative pluck and profundity. A great present for that researcher in your life who has had to spend years chipping away at the same problem.

75. The Psychology of the Adolescent. Leta Hollingworth, 1930

76. A Forgotten Voice: A Biography of Leta Stetter Hollingworth. Ann G. Klein, 2002

Hollingworth is one of Women in Science’s more problematic figures. Her contributions to education and work disproving several of the reigning biological assumptions about women’s ability to work are of everlasting value, even as her personal views bordering on the eugenicist are deeply troubling. She is a complex figure it does anybody well to ponder over.

77. Boundless Horizons: Portrait of a Pioneer Woman Scientist. Icie Gertrude Macy Hoobler, 1982

Hoobler is one of those people that people go from having never heard to absolutely loving in the space of five minutes.  As the primary researcher behind the study of infant nutrition and the chemical makeup of breast milk, she had a tremendous and still undersung impact on the health of the human community.

78. Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age. Kurt W. Beyer, 2012

79. A Mind of Her Own: The Life of Karen Horney. Susan Quinn, 1987

Like I said before with regards to her Curie biography, Quinn is a writer who digs deep. In the case of Curie, that depth revealed itself in a complex recasting of Polish society. In this one, it comes out as an in-depth investigation into Horney’s complicated romantic life which certainly had an impact on her psychoanalytic theory and impact, but I would have liked some of that intensity to go towards her early intellectual history too. Still, it’s a great damn book.

80. Unravelling Starlight: William and Margaret Huggins and the Rise of the New Astronomy. Barbara J. Becker, 2011

I think this ended up costing me $70 (for a second hand copy at that) but now it’s available in paperback for a mere $50. Is it worth it? I’d say so, because Becker’s tale of the development and importance of spectroscopy for astronomy, and Margaret and William’s central place in that story, is a central tale in modern science worth the entrance fee.

81. The Invertebrates (5 volumes). Libbie Henrietta Hyman, 1940

I have a soft spot in my heart for entomologists, and Hyman is the entomologist’s entomologist. Her encyclopaedic knowledge of not only insects, but the entire spectrum of the invertebrates, is legendary, and nowhere on better display than in these volumes. They’re not precisely light reading, but as a testament to one life devoted to sifting and sorting the grand complexity of terrestrial biology there are few better.

82. Hypatia of Alexandria: Mathematician and Martyr. Michael A.B. Deakin, 2007

I like this book not only as a look at the people who fought to preserve the mathematics of classical antiquity against the encroaching darkness of religious fanaticism, but also because in the appendices Deakin has reproduced the only original sources we have as to how precisely Hypatia died.

83. Der Fall Clara Immerwahr: Leben fuer eine humane Wissenschaft. Gerit von Leitner, 1993

It’s a tragic tale from the midst of the first World War that deserves a full telling in English but that has yet to get that, so von Leitner remains our best source on this side of the pond.

84. The Life of Sophia Jex-Blake. Margaret Todd

85. Sophia Jex-Blake: A Woman Pioneer in Nineteenth-Century Medical Reform. Shirley Roberts, 1993

86. The Life of Dr. Anandabai Joshee, A Kinswoman of the Pundita Ramabai.  Caroline Healey Dall, 1888

Dall knew Dr. Joshee, and her biography of India’s first woman doctor is a deeply sympathetic one and is still, a century and change later, our best source for information in the English language about this historically important woman who died far too soon.

87. It’s Never Too Late to Love. Anna Kleegman Daniels, 1953

Seventy years later, and Daniels’s message is still one we struggle with: that elderly women do not need to give up sex on account of their age, and that the rest of the world better damn well get used to the idea.

88. My Mother, the Doctor. Joy Daniels Singer, 1970

Support WomenYSK Now!