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A review by ellzi
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel
2.0
For the most part, this is an interesting account. It does lag a little in parts.
I have to point out a serious epistemological failing though. Throughout the book, men are given either their proper titles or referred to just by their surnames.
Only a few of the women are given their correct academic titles. If there is a reason that a woman with a PhD should be referred to as, for example, Miss Cannon and not Dr Cannon then this should be explained. It was particularly galling when a woman's PhD wasn't seen as reason to change her title but her marriage was and she was duly called Mrs afterwards.
In at least one of these instances, Sobel could have easily worked around this, if she felt these women would have objected to being referred to as Dr, by simply referring to her as her surname, which she does for men even when they have a brother with the same name!
Perhaps this is picky but if a book is taking women as its subject, it should be internally coherent on small points like this.
I have to point out a serious epistemological failing though. Throughout the book, men are given either their proper titles or referred to just by their surnames.
Only a few of the women are given their correct academic titles. If there is a reason that a woman with a PhD should be referred to as, for example, Miss Cannon and not Dr Cannon then this should be explained. It was particularly galling when a woman's PhD wasn't seen as reason to change her title but her marriage was and she was duly called Mrs afterwards.
In at least one of these instances, Sobel could have easily worked around this, if she felt these women would have objected to being referred to as Dr, by simply referring to her as her surname, which she does for men even when they have a brother with the same name!
Perhaps this is picky but if a book is taking women as its subject, it should be internally coherent on small points like this.