The Unforgotten Sisters

By: Gabriella Bernardi

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: Takinginspiration from Siv Cedering's poem in the form of a fictional letter fromCaroline Herschel that refers to "my long, lost sisters, forgotten in the booksthat record our science", this book tells the lives of twenty-five femalescientists, with specific attention to astronomers and mathematicians. Each ofthe presented biographies is organized as a kind of "personal file"which sets the biographee's life in its historical context, documents her mainworks, highlights some curious facts, and records citations about her. Theselected figures are among the most representative of this neglected world,including such luminaries as Hypatia of Alexandra, Hildegard of Bingen,Elisabetha Hevelius, and Maria Gaetana Agnesi. They span a period of about 4000years, from En HeduAnna, the Akkadian princess, who was one of the firstrecognized female astronomers, to the dawn of the era of modern astronomy withCaroline Herschel and Mary Somerville. The book will be of interest to allwho wish to learn more about the women from antiquity to the nineteenth centurywho played such key roles in the history of astronomy and science despiteliving and working in largely male-dominated worlds.