Women's Periodicals and Newspapers from the 18th Century to 1981: A Union List of theHoldings of Madison, Wisconsin, Libraries by James P. Danky; Maureen E. Hady; BarryChristopher Noonan; Neil E. StracheReview by: Mary BiggsThe Library Quarterly, Vol. 53, No. 4 (Oct., 1983), pp. 479-480Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4307680 .

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REVIEWS 479

Several very useful lists precede the catalogue in volume 1. A "List of Changed Symbols" reflects how and when symbols have changed over the span of the publication. Two other lists preceding the catalog are "Categories of the United Nations Sales Publications" and a "Detailed Contents of the Catalogue," with page references to the symbols. Volume 1 concludes with an appendix of "United Nations Publications in Print 1981" and a price list of "United Nations Microfiche 1980-1981."

Volume 2 contains the 3 indexes: Key-Word-in-Context, title, and sales num- ber, respectively. A major contribution of this reference work is the KWIC index to U.N. sales publications, which comprises 288 of the 326 pages of volume 2. This computer-generated index by the staff at the University of California, San Diego, has made it possible to identify a U.N. document with the minimal amount of information. Although Coolman concedes that a KWIC index does have its limitations in not being able to index by broad subjects, its benefits outweigh this drawback. The format is clear, and dark horizontal lines separate every fourth title, making it very legible. The page referral to volume 1 appears to the right of the title. There is also a large space in front of the key word and a note above each column specifying "key word-first word in this column." Stop words are listed in the beginning of the index. A document title such as "The United Nations and the Fight against Drug Abuse" is indexed under the key words United, fight, drug and abuse; "Nations" is a stop word. Such indexing illustrates how this reference source makes it very easy to use and is a gold mine for finding the exact U.N. document.

I highly recommend this 2-volume set as a major contribution in bringing U.N. documents to the attention of librarians and scholars, by facilitating greater access not only in one's library, but by providing bibliographical verification for interlibrary loan purposes. The cost of $115 for the 2 cloth volumes (800 pages of rather poor paper quality) may seem too steep at first glance. However, the time saved in searching far outweighs the cost. One only regrets that the cover- age stopped at 1978, considering the late publication date of 1982. As Birchfield points out, UNDOC appeared in 1979 and the "United Nations itself now has computerized data with which to generate future cumulations with ease" (vol. 1, author's preface). This work is a must for any library with a substantial U.N. collection.

Beverly A. Sperring, University of Chicago

Women's Penodicats and Newspapers from the 18th Century to 1981: A Union List of the Holdings of Madison, Wisconsin, Libraries. Edited by JAMES P. DANKY; compiled by MAUREEN E. HADY, BARRY CHRISTOPHER NOONAN, and NEIL E. STRACHE in association with the STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN. A Reference Publication in Women's Studies. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1982. Pp. xxiv+ 376. ISBN 0-8161-8107-1.

This book provides scholars of feminism, sexuality, and political and social history with an invaluable tool. Listed here are all periodicals or newspapers which hold interest for women-related studies and were present in one of a group of Madison libraries in July 1981. Though a number of public and special

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480 THE LIBRARY QUARTERLY

libraries were surveyed, by far the most significant collections represented are those of the Wisconsin State Historical Society and the University of Wisconsin- Madison Memorial Library, which are both located on the university campus, a convenient short walk from each other. The introduction's boast that these comprise "the strongest collection of women's periodicals and newspapers in North America" (p. ix) actually understates their value; the appearance of a comprehensive, detailed guide to this treasure trove is an event to celebrate.

Arranged by title is the remarkable total of 1,461 publications from thirty-six countries. Each entry includes all useful facts, among them publisher, editor(s), subject focus, date(s), frequency, subscription rates, address(es), ISSN, OCLC control number, and holding institutions both within and without the Madison area. These extensive annotations make the book much more than a finding device: it is a rich reference work in itself, and no doubt will be consulted often for its descriptive data.

Probably no bibliography, no library subject collection, can be truly complete, whatever its intentions and resources. Still, my informal "test"-an unsystematic search for several dozen titles I know and cherish-revealed only one clearly relevant title to be missing. This, to my chagrin, is a magazine I once helped edit: the nationally distributed, award-winning Primavera, an eight-year-old women's literary journal published in Chicago. (It is a puzzling omission, and I commend Primavera to Madison.)

Publications listed range widely in scope and purpose. There are, for instance, such legendary "first-wave" feminist serials as The Lily (1849-94), edited by Amelia Bloomer of the notorious bouffant trouser; Elizabeth Cady Stanton's The Revolution (1868-72); and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's ambitious Forerunner (1909-16). Numerous newsletters and journals are aimed at women in particu- lar labor unions or occupations. Other special interest serials are driven by feminist-linked pacifism, socialism, political liberalism, or by antifeminist conser- vatism (the latter exemplified by The Phyllis Schlafly Report). There are, of course, many local chapter newsletters spawned by such national groups as the National Organization for Women, the American Association of University Women, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Of course, contemporary feminist and lesbian publications abound. Traditional housewifely mass magazines are not neglected: here are Godey's Magazine, the Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, and many more, along with their chic sister slicks, Glamour, Vogue, et al.

The volume is remarkably easy to use. It concludes with 7 thorough indexes formatted for maximum readability. They provide access by nation, state or province, and city; editor; publisher; subject (headings approved, the introduc- tion assures us, by the ubiquitous Sanford Berman!); foreign language; "catch- word" and subtitle; and, in a versatile, imaginative tabular arrangement, by beginning and end dates.

Appealing full-page photographs of the covers of 50 publications enhance the book's interest and underscore its broad range: from Amazon to Farm Wife News, Wonder Woman comics to Women's Studies Quarterly, American Baptist Woman to Warpath.

Intelligently designed and painstakingly compiled, Women's Periodicals and Newspapers opens several blockading doors which, if not locked, were at least cumbersome to open. It should stimulate much lively, important scholarship.

Mary Biggs, University of Chicago

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