Collected writings of women freethinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries. ". . . a valuable resource for both feminists and atheists and it provides interesting reading for people without a cause who would just like to learn more about some of American history's most interesting citizens." -- Rev. William R. Wineke, Wisconsin State Journal, April 13, 1997 "A spirited and inspiring book. . . . the book made me think--hard--about why I support an institution that has, historically, such an atrocious record of abuses against women. . . . In sparkling displays of logic, freethinking women snip patriarchal theology into ribbons. . . . The lives of these women are absolutely exhilarating, and Gaylor's pungent biographical sketches are a delight to read. . . . an unusually accessible volume." -- Joan Hedrick, The Women's Review of Books, November 1997 "A superb collection of original writings . . . tells the story of how female heretics, agnostics, and atheists influenced the women's movement. It is particularly valuable to history buffs and women activists. The writings are provocative, timely, and give the eloquent views of women--past and present--who were social reformers as well as revolutionaries." -- Annette Van Howe, The Humanist, July/August 1997 "This anthology of 51 feminists, from Mary Wollstonecraft to Katha Pollitt and Barbara Ehrenreich, shows how the leaders of the women's-liberation movement have long understood the crucial importance of breaking with the Bible. . . . Gaylor's selections of original writings are well chosen, and her introduction is convincingly argued. I found her brief biographical sketches fascinating." -- Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive, January 1998 "This anthology, billed as the first of its kind, certainly provides food for thought." -- Judyth Rigler, San Antonio Express News, March 23, 1997 The first anthology of its kind. Women Without Superstition is intended in part to acquaint feminists with the freethinking heritage of the women's rights movement, and the freethought ideals that so often motivated and underpinned the convictions of many feminist foremothers. Similarly, the work of women freethinkers to liberate minds and governments from religious dogma has all too often been ignored or relegated to footnotes by historians of freethought. This collection reclaims the rightful place of women freethinkers." Includes excerpts of: Mary Wollstonecraft, Anne Royall, Frances Wright, Harriet Martineau, Lydia Maria Child, Ernestine L. Rose, Margaret Fuller, Emma Martin, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy N. Colman, George Eliot, Susan B. Anthony, Ella E. Gibson, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Lois Waisbrooker, Elmina D. Slenker, Lillie Devereux Blake, Ouida, Marilla Ricker, Annie Besant, Susan H. Wixon, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Helen Gardener, Ellen Battelle Dietrick, Josephine K. Henry, Etta Semple, Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Voltairine de Cleyre, Emma Goldman, Zona Gale, Margaret Sanger, Marian Sherman, Dora Russell, Meridel Le Sueur, Margaret Knight, Barbara Smoker, Queen Silver, Vashti McCollum, Ruth Hurmence Green, Catherine Fahringer, Anne Nicol Gaylor, Meg Bowman, Barbara G. Walker, Sherry Matulis, Kay Nolte Smith, Sonia Johnson, Barbara Ehrenreich, Katha Pollitt, Taslima Nasrin. Also includes biographical sketches of 39 additional freethinking women such as Ayn Rand, George Sand, Lucy Parsons, Florence Nightingale, and Jane Addams. Also featuring an exclusive Elizabeth Cady Stanton Reader. Annie Laurie Gaylor is editor of Freethought Today. She co-founded, with her mother Anne Nicol Gaylor, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (www.ffrf.org) in 1978, an association of freethinkers working for the separation of church and state. She has a journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1980). She has also written Woe to the Women: The Bible Tells Me So. Annie Laurie lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and is married to Dan Barker. "Faith in God necessarily implies a lack of faith in humanity." (Barbara G. Walker, 1993) END Used Book in Good Condition