Publisher's Synopsis
Gillian FenwickÆs book on DNB women subjects and writers shows that anyone interested in womenÆs history might take the Dictionary of National Biography as a starting point. In theory, the DNB covers the lives of all British women worthy of note from the beginnings of history: in practice, there are 1,518 women among 34,533 men. Here too are small but gradually increasing numbers of women writers working as DNB contributors from the late nineteenth century to the present day. - - Women and the Dictionary of National Biography shows that the Victorian DNB was largely a male domain - proprietor, editors, staff, contributors and subjects. The first volume had 505 biographies, only 35 of them women, by 87 contributors, four of whom were women. In the early twentieth century volumes there were still few women subjects and even a fall in women writers. DNB women subjects and writers are still in a minority - 12% and 8% respectively in the 1980 - 1985 supplement, but despite the fact that, overall, DNB women subjects are outnumbered by men almost 23 to 1, the revolution in womenÆs lives and in ways of thinking about women is recognised by the modern DNB. This study illustrates its importance as a resource about and by women. - - Women and the Dictionary of National Biography is the latest stage in Gillian FenwickÆs ongoing study of the Dictionary. It begins with a general overview of the DNB, followed by detailed sections on women subjects, women contributors, male contributors who have written about women, and an occupation index of women subjects, with comprehensive listings and summary tables in each category.
