Christmas Gifting Guide: Best Books about Brilliant Women

Gift Books about Brilliant Women

Featuring books on brilliant women in history, celebrating their work, lives, and achievements, these titles will appeal to any young feminist and those with an interest in women’s history. Covering subjects such as feminism, women’s suffrage, women’s rights to citizenship and marriage, and featuring the likes of Florence Nightingale, Emily Pankhurst, Virginia Woolf, Louisa May Alcott and more, these titles make for a perfect, yet insightful, Christmas gift.

Gift List of Books about Brilliant Women

Books for the Literary Feminist

An extended essay which was based on a series of lectures that Woolf delivered at two women’s colleges which are part of Cambridge University. The essay explores women both as writers and characters in fiction and is an important piece of early feminist writing.

The story takes place in Victorian England and centres around Jean Muir. Muir is the sly governess of the Coventry family who, through masterful manipulation, manages to attain respect, love, and finally the entire fortune of the wealthy family she serves.

This early work by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was originally published in 1899 and is considered her most notable work. Being a semi-autobiographical short story about a woman’s struggle with mental illness. This is a fascinating book and is thoroughly recommended for anyone with an interest in feminist literature and historic attitudes towards mental health

Gift Books for the Activist

The 1914 memoirs of Emmeline Pankhurst. Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) was a British political activist who organised the British suffragette movement and helped women attain voting rights. “Time” magazine named Pankhurst one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century in 1999.

An essay on the subject of women’s social participation and representation in politics. The struggle for women’s rights has been a long and hard-fought one, requiring the efforts of innumerable men and women throughout history. One of the most important battlefields in this fight has been that of law, which has acted as both oppressor and liberator of women. In this essay, Fawcett sets out the case for women’s suffrage clearly and concisely forty years before women were finally given the vote in the U.K.

“A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” is a 1792 work by 18th-century British proto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Among the earliest works of feminist philosophy, a rebuttal to 18th century educational and political theorists who maintained that women should not be granted an education. Wollstonecraft posits the essential nature of women’s education to the strength of a nation and argues that they are human beings who deserve similar rights to those afforded to men. “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” is a seminal work of early feminist literature, a must-read for those interested in the history of feminism.

Stories of Brilliant Women in History

A collection of essays and extracts from various writers concerning English social reformer, statistician, and founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale (1820–1910). Also known as “The Lady with the Lamp”, she was an accomplished writer who produced work related to medical knowledge.

This famous memoir chronicles Harriet Jacobs’ life as a female slave and documents how she attained freedom both for herself and for her children. Within this volume Jacob’s explores the life of female slaves on plantations, the abuse and hardships that they had to endure, and their desperate efforts to protect their children.

Explore this remarkable collection of botanical cyanotypes by Anna Atkins, the world’s first female photographer, in a stunning celebration of early photography and the natural world.

Discover exquisitely detailed blueprints of over 100 fern specimens and explore the original artwork of one of the most overlooked women in science.

Books About Marital Rights for the Married Feminist

A fascinating example of early feminist literature, this essay argues that, according to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, rights are universal; and if that is indeed true, then they should apply to all adults—women included.

The struggle for women’s rights has been a long and hard-fought one, requiring the efforts of innumerable men and women throughout history. One of the most important battlefields in this fight has been that of law, which has acted as both oppressor and liberator of women. This fascinating volume contains a variety of essays dealing with women and the law, exploring the history and evolution of laws pertaining particularly to marriage.

In Honour of the Woman Who Fought the Law for the Rights of Married Women Today.

Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton was an English author and social reformer. Norton campaigned vehemently, which eventually led to the historic passing of the Custody of Infants Act 1839, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857, and the Married Women’s Property Act 1870. This volume contains a collection of poems, essays, and biographical sketches related to Norton and her tremendous efforts in the fight for women’s rights in England.