A History of Women in Mathematics is a concise, well written, overview of women in mathematics over three millennia written and curated by Dale Debakcsy. Released 30th Dec 2023 by Pen & Sword on their History imprint, it's 216 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.
The book is arranged in 30 biography chapters, in chronological order, from Theano of Croton (and the Pythagoreans) to, quite poignantly, Maryam Mirzakhani. Each subject is introduced in historical context in surprisingly accessible terms. The author considers them as historical characters and, obviously, scientists, but also renders them realistically. The language is understandable and doesn't require an academic background to read and assimilate the facts of their lives. The mathematics is very briefly touched on but it's not a mathematics text and doesn't require relevant formal scientific background to understand.
There's a surprising amount of warmth and humour in the biographies. Even the ancient subjects with scant historical proof are rendered three-dimensionally and engagingly.
Four stars. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or gift giving. The bibliography is full of good resources and links for further reading. There's also an appendix with a number of archival photos of the subjects which add some context and interest.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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