From a rediscovered collection of autobiographical accounts written by hundreds of Kansas pioneer women in the early twentieth century; Joanna Stratton has created a collection hailed by Newsweek as “uncommonly interesting†and “a remarkable distillation of primary sources.â€Never before has there been such a detailed record of women’s courage; such a living portrait of the women who civilized the American frontier. Here are their stories: wilderness mothers; schoolmarms; Indian squaws; immigrants; homesteaders; and circuit riders. Their personal recollections of prairie fires; locust plagues; cowboy shootouts; Indian raids; and blizzards on the plains vividly reveal the drama; danger and excitement of the pioneer experience. These were women of relentless determination; whose tenacity helped them to conquer loneliness and privation. Their work was the work of survival; it demanded as much from them as from their men—and at last that partnership has been recognized. “These voices are haunting†(The New York Times Book Review); and they reveal the special heroism and industriousness of pioneer women as never before.
#15673 in Books Dava Sobel 2016-12-06 2016-12-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.31 x 1.13 x 6.31l; 1.19 #File Name: 0670016950336 pagesThe Glass Universe How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars
Review
64 of 64 people found the following review helpful. The Glass Universe is a fantastic readBy Cindy B. (ThoughtsFromAPage)The Glass Universe meticulously delineates the previously little-known story about the contributions of a group of women hired by the Harvard College Observatory as “human computers†beginning in the mid-1800’s. While Dava Sobel at times employs incredible scientific detail while relaying these women’s stories; overall The Glass Universe is a fascinating tale of the impact of a multitude of female astronomers on the field of astronomy. As the story develops; photography begins revolutionizing the field of astronomy creating a new field called spectrophotography. Accordingly; a number of these women begin studying the thousands of glass photographic plates created nightly at the observatory in Cambridge and at times from other areas including Peru and South Africa. The images created via photography magnified the views of the cosmos to degrees far beyond what the naked eye could see even with a telescope. As a result; the women (and some men too) discovered thousands of new stars; learned what stars are composed of; and characterized stars into groupings with similar traits. Sobel also pays tribute to the individuals who funded much of this research including Anna Draper whose husband was on the forefront of spectrophotography and sadly died young; Andrew Carnegie and Catherine Bruce; a wealthy New York socialite who came to love astronomy late in life.Because so many women participated in the development of a new understanding of the cosmos; there are a tremendous number of characters in The Glass Universe. Repeatedly while reading; I kept wishing that there was a character listing at the front of the book to help me keep track of them all. When I finished the book; I was happy to ascertain that Sovel had compiled a lengthy Catalogue of Harvard Astronomers; Assistants; and Associates at the end of the book. While it was helpful to peruse this after finishing The Glass Universe; I feel it would have been more useful at the front of the book instead of after I was finished reading. At the end of the book; Sobel also includes a timeline with the highlights of the Harvard College Observatory which places many of the developments and discoveries into a coherent; satisfying format.Sobel’s story is uplifting; and I loved reading about the recognition these women received at a time when women working was highly uncommon. Not only did their fellow workers at Harvard Observatory acknowledge the success and importance of these individuals; but astronomers worldwide respected and recognized the contributions made by them. I highly recommend The Glass Universe. Thanks to Viking Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Must read for AAVSO members and variable star observers everywhere.By GRK_AstronomerBeing an amateur astronomer who enjoys the stars on clear nights and a good book on astronomy and its history on cloudy ones; this is a very well researched and written book. Any member of the AAVSO would appreciate knowing about how it got started. Dava Sobel does a great round trip study of variable stars; the research to discover them; the human computers used to establish theories and the relationship used to establish one of the wrongs in the cosmic step ladder and to uncover the people behind it all.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I am a fan because I have enjoyed Sobel's Longitude and Galileo's Daughter many times eachBy Meribeth Meixner ReedMeribeth Meixner Reed; PhD6 June 2017Sobel; Dava. (2016). The Glass Universe: How the ladies of the Harvard Observatory took the measure of the stars. New York; NY: Viking.Women's expeditions into advanced mathematics and science are not the same as men's. That was notoriously true in 19th and 20th century America; as gate-keepers protecting the realm of men (while ostensibly and disingenuously protecting the fairer sex) unapologetically denied gender equality. Recall that before 1920; women in most of the US did not have the right to vote.Glass Universe is an important women's history overlaid on a history of astronomy and astrophysics. The title refers to the half million glass photographic plates on which stellar observations were recorded; and the subtitle reveals the subject of Dava Sobel's exploration; developed through a series of biographies. A chronologic approach was taken; focusing on several key players with a large supporting cast; while the observatory is the stage.Award-winning science writer Sobel introduces a cadre of astronomers previously known to few of us; although their discoveries and taxonomies are fundamental today. I am a fan because I have enjoyed Sobel's Longitude and Galileo's Daughter many times each. Her research is rigorous; and she treats her subject astronomers with admiration and love; describing women pioneers in photography; spectroscopy; stellar origins; evolution; and chemistry; and astrophysics. Positions of primacy are given to Williamina Fleming (1857-1911); who devised a classification scheme for stars and discovered more than 300 variable stars; and Antonia Maury (1866-1952); whose enhanced spectral classification scheme based on improvements in photography distinguished between giant and dwarf stars; and who identified spectroscopic binaries.Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921) established a system to measure distances across space based on the brightness of stars; and her co-worker of two decades; Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941) classified and cataloged the light spectra of hundreds of thousands of stars. Cannon also mentored Cecilia Payne (Gaposchkin)(1900-1979); who revealed the physical and chemical nature of stars; the articulation of physics and astronomy; or astrophysics. Hers was the first PhD in Astronomy conferred by Harvard/Radcliffe (1925). Heiresses Anna Palmer Draper (1839-1914) and Catherine Wolfe Bruce (1816-1900) also advanced astronomy as generous benefactors.Reading this book required three and four bookmarks. The text is 323 pages; including bibliography and index. There is so much information -- unwrapping the life stories of many astronomers -- that I frequently flipped back and forth between sections to help me distinguish between individuals. An extensive timeline is concealed under the title Highlights of the Observatory (pp. 273-279); and that was important to bookmark; as is the alphabetic catalog of astronomers and others (pp. 285-292); and the glossary located between them. Six color photos are centered in the book; which includes 20 pictures of the visionaries. But the unconventional lack of scholarly references and citations is not explained; despite the wide use of quotations; and it is not clear why the academic title Dr. was so seldom and inconsistently used.Through this book; Sobel opened a new universe for me; sending me searching for more information on these fascinating women of science. These astronomers who changed our understanding of the universe demonstrated resilience in the face of denied academic degrees; titles; awards; positions; and reasonable pay based explicitly on their gender; even as they published seminal works in the science.Like artists; scientists pursue original thoughts and intellectual challenges. The interpretation of findings and written expression are steps in a solitary creative endeavor. They must have great faith in those to whom they reveal and entrust their discoveries. I imagine these pioneers created a supportive environment for each other; a privileged sisterhood; enabling them to retain their unique positions in the observatory and the academy; fully aware that most women were denied access to such work and study. And they were probably not surprised when others took credit for their work. Yet the women remained committed to expanding; generating; and then sharing knowledge. They were as brilliant as the stars they were measuring in as many dimensions.
