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Women's History Gifts - for Yourself, for Others

Ideas for buying women's history gifts for your friends and family -- or for yourself.
Books on Women Explorers
Here are some of my recommendations for books on women explorers -- women who flouted convention to travel to the corners of the earth -- and some into space, or even into the realm of new ideas. They make great reading for yourself and they also make great gifts.
Posters of Women in Jazz
Women's contribution to jazz has been mostly as singers, though a few have also been instrumentalists. If you'd like to give some of the ladies of jazz a place in your home, office or classroom, here are some posters and art prints featuring Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker and -- in a rare treat -- Lil Armstrong, appearing with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band.
Books on Women in Prehistory
The role of women in prehistory is a subject of wide popular interest. Dahlberg's challenge of "man the hunter" as the primary catalyst for human civilization is now classic. Marija Gimbutas' theory of the ancient culture of Old Europe, before the invasion of warlike Indo Europeans, is the foundation for much of the more popular literature. Read these and more skeptical views for perspective.
Emily Dickinson Biographies and Criticism
Emily Dickinson, a creative poet of the 19th century, was known only by a small circle during her lifetime. It wasn't until after her death that most of her poems were published. Her life and work still fascinate readers and are studied widely. Listed here alphabetically by title are selected biographies and works of literary criticism.
Books on Medieval/Renaissance Costume
Recommended medieval and Renaissance costume books. For theatrical productions, reenactors, SCA, and living history, these resources are excellent for ideas about fashions and their construction. You'll probably need to consult more than one or two to check on authenticity and practical techniques. They're also fascinating just to browse through for insight into women's lives.
Calendars Celebrating Women's History - 2008
With a calendar honoring women's history, every month can be women's history month. Choose a wall calendar with 12 months, an engagement calendar with weekly pages or a daily calendar with plenty of quotes. When the year's over, consider using the pictures for bulletin boards and other purposes.
Women's History Gifts
More ideas for gifts related to women's history. Whether you're making or buying a gift for someone else, or hinting to someone about what you'd like, here are some creative and unusual gift and project ideas for the person interested in women's history.
Women Who Dare Books
Recommendations of books on women's history, from the Library of Congress Women Who Dare series.
Before You Buy Women's History Gifts for Girls
You're interested in women's history? Here are some considerations to help you select a gift to pique the interest of a friend, daughter, niece or granddaughter, or to feed her on-going interest in women's lives and women's history.
Books: The Worlds of the American Girls
A summary of the series of books introducing seven time periods in American history. The target age group is 8-12, and each book focuses on the life of girls growing up in that time. Available for Felicity (1774), Josefina (1824), Kirsten (1854), Addy (1864), Samantha (1904) and Molly (1944). Kit (1934) new in 2002.
Books on American Women's History
A selection of the best overview books on the history of women in America. These books cover many historical periods in American history, looking at women's roles. Each book has strengths and weaknesses, depending on the purpose for which you're choosing it, and a wise choice may be one narrative history and one book of primary source documents.
Books on Body Image and Women's History
How women view and value their bodies has changed over time. These books examine the history of body image and how culture shapes ideas of women's beauty -- useful perspective in dealing with body image and self-esteem issues among girls and women today. There are other good books on body image and beauty culture today from a personal perspective; these books include the best historical analysis.
Books on the Salem Witch Trials
The 1692 outbreak of witchcraft accusations in Salem Village, Massachusetts, has fascinated historians and the average reader alike for more than three hundred years. How could neighbor turn against neighbor? What light does this episode shed on women's lives? On human potential for similar "witch hunts" even in the 20th and 21st centuries?
Books on Women and Textiles in World History
Weaving and decorating cloth, carpets and other fabric has traditionally been women's work in many cultures, ancient and modern. Embroidery, weaving and other textile arts have become today's women's art. Read about some of the long history of women's work and craft.
Books on Women and the Civil War
Reenactors and researchers alike, you'll find here an interesting mix of books written in the era and others using modern scholarship and current research, biographies and social context, surveys or overviews and depth on particular topics. Readers new to the topic of women and the Civil War will want to start with some of the overview books.
Books on Women During and After the American Revolution
Women's lives began to change with the American Revolution. Every war means more women taking charge during the absence and after the deaths of husbands and fathers. After the war, talk of rights raised issues of women's rights and education. Read about some individual women whose voices were heard and about the lives of other women whose stories are known less directly.
Books on Women of Colonial America
A few women in colonial America told their own stories in letterbooks, journals, diaries and other writings. But few diaries exist, so other sources are often essential to understanding women's lives before the American Revolution -- especially more ordinary women.
Books on Women of the 10th Century - Medieval Women
In the tenth century, women's prominence was often through marriage or motherhood. Queenship was not much more than being a consort of a king, and mother of his children. Yet some queens and empresses reigned as regents for their sons and founded monasteries and convents. The lives of ordinary women are even more obscure. Some books cover a broader time range, so also include comparative material.
Emily Dickinson Poems and Letters
Selected collections of Emily Dickinson's poems plus collections of her letters - with commentary - are included in this collection of Guide Picks.
Women's History Gifts Beyond Books
More ideas for gifts related to women's history. Whether you're making or buying a gift for someone else, or hinting to someone about what you'd like, here are some creative and unusual gift and project ideas for the person interested in women's history. Quilt pattern, posters, mugs, tote bags, collectibles and more.
Women Artists: Posters & Prints
Great artists include a number of women, many of whom should be better known than they are. Madonna decorates her home with art by female art deco artist Tamara De Lempicka -- you can find prints and posters of this and many other artists online.
Women's History Audiobooks
Take women's history for a walk, to the gym, or for a drive: download audiobooks and take women's history with you.
Audiobooks - Women in Medieval and Renaissance History
Take medieval and Renaissance women's history for a walk, to the gym, or for a drive: download audiobooks and take women's history with you. These books are about key women in medieval and Renaissance history. An update on the books on tape concept, these books can be downloaded to your computer, then played as you work or uploaded to an MP3 player or burned to a CD.
American First Ladies - Audiobooks - Biographies and Autobiographies
Take women's history for a walk, to the gym, or for a drive: download audiobooks and take women's history with you. These books are all biographies or autobiographies of American First Ladies. An update on the books on tape concept, these books can be downloaded to your computer, then played as you work or uploaded to an MP3 player or burned to a CD.
Books for Girls 5-9
Girls in this age range are beginning readers, but usually still love a story read to them sometimes too. They're exploring their place in the world, so books that provide role models - real and fantasy - are good choices. Girls at these ages usually like colorful illustrations, touches of humor or surprise, and a mixture of courage and compassion in the heroines.
History Mysteries Boxed Sets
These excellent books for girls 8-13 each feature a resourceful and courageous heroine facing both everyday problems and issues related to the history of her time. I recommend these as a great way to introduce young readers to women's history.
Books for Girls 8-12
Girls in the preteen years are at an important transition point: they need strong female role models before they enter the years when they question whether girls can be both intelligent and popular. I've listed here some of my favorite women's history books for this age group. Some are collections of short sketches, perfect for the active or impatient reader.
Books - History Mysteries
These excellent books for girls 8-13 each feature a resourceful and courageous heroine facing both everyday problems and issues related to the history of her time. I recommend these as a great way to introduce young readers to women's history. Hardcover or paperback.
Collectible Barbies
Barbie Dolls are not a politically-correct toy -- her body is like no real woman's and these are more stereotypes than accurate history. You won't find Eleanor Roosevelt Barbie, though you will find Marilyn and Cher. But these may be a young Barbie fan's pathway to an interest in history, or an adult's light-hearted reminder of period fashions and popular culture.
Quotations by Women
General purpose quotation books still leave out most women's voices. Fortunately, if you want to hear women's voices, there are some great quotations books for your bookshelf. Just don't put them too far out of reach -- you'll want them handy when you want to hear a voice of wisdom or just need a few choice words on a topic.
Posters of Goddesses
Choose from among these posters of goddesses, some from Renaissance art, or art deco, or more modern images.
Cleopatra Gifts
A diverse selection of gifts for someone interested in Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt: a recent book, three movies and two documentaries, costumes, posters, the classic Shakespeare drama in book or audio and a collectible doll.
Books on Women in Islam
Does Islam treat women better or worse than other religions do? Are women better off under Islam than under Western culture? These are important questions not only for women's history, but for understanding the news today. Each of the books included has its own biases -- but that's helpful because you need to read and understand several perspectives to make your own truly informed judgments.
Biographies of Women
While many people won't wade through a book about women's history, they will read biographies of famous or notable women. Thus, for many people, biographies are their main access to issues with which women's history is concerned, including how women lived their lives, how being female affected their lives and how they accepted or rebelled against expected roles.
Books About Alice Walker
Read about Alice Walker and her writings in these books, mostly collections of essays and other articles about Walker. Many focus on The Color Purple.
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