Most of us encounter science through the the world of popular
science: the books, TV shows, museum exhibits, kits, and toys
that are packaged for general consumption. Today, we explore the
early days of mass-produced popular science, particularly the
books written for women and children. Guest essay – Michal
Meyer, “No Place for a Lady” - Michal Meyer is a graduate
student in the history of science at the University of Florida.
She is writing her dissertation on Mary Somerville, focusing on
the influences of empire and Romanticism on Somerville’s books
aimed at a general audience. In a previous life she worked as a
journalist in Israel and a meteorologist in New Zealand. You can
contact her at michal AT hssonline DOT org. Host essay – “Fun
for the Whole Family” For further reading: - Pnina Abir-Am and
Dorinda Outram, eds., Uneasy Careers and Intimate Lives: Women
in Science 1789-1979 (Rutgers UP, 1987). - Richard Lovell
Edgeworth and Maria Edgeworth, Harry and Lucy; with Other Tales
(Harper & Bros., 1842). Th