Project Description

Goal of the Project:

This project seeks to provide full and partial text access to the written works of several female scientists accompanied by biographies written by leading historians of science.

Materials Currently Available:

The project includes full text access to the works of the marquise Du Châtelet. Judith Zinsser, a historian of science at the University of Miami-Ohio, is an expert on Du Châtelet’s contribution to science, and provides invaluable background information in her biography and introductions to the documents.

The project also includes a link to a digital collection dedicated to women and botany in 18th and early 19th century England with introductory comments by Agnes Haigh Widder, Humanities Bibliographer at Michigan State university. (Click the 'Resources' tab to find the link to this collection.)

The project also provides access to a range of cookbooks from the Michigan State University Special Collections. Currently, we have full text access to Ellen H. Richards, The Chemistry of Cooking and Cleaning: A manual for housekeepers (1882) and we are working to digitalize more cookbooks which should be available in early 2010. Helen Veit, a historian of food at Michigan State University, has written an introduction to The Chemistry of Cooking and Cleaning highlighting Richards' contributions to the development of Home Economics. Helen is also the editor of a forthcoming book series with Michigan State University Press entitled American Food in History.

Future of the Project:

We hope the project will grow to include female scientists from a broad range of countries, time periods, and disciplines. If you would like to contribute to this effort please contact Georgina M. Montgomery, historian of science at Michigan State University, at montg165@msu.edu