Astonishing Women Artists.

Patricia Morley is a professor of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University, an associate fellow of the Simone de Beauvoir
Institute, and author of Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Home.

This relatively small book covers a great deal of ground in only 120 pages. The “astonishing” women artists are Artemisia Gentileschi, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Emily Carr, Georgia O’Keefe, Louisa Nevelson, Frida Kahlo, Elizabeth Catlett, Kenojuak Ashhevak, Faith Ringgold, and Mary Pratt. Five pages on resources and two on photo credits complete her tightly packed data. Each essay begins with a small black and white photograph of the artist, and an abundance of other small photographs enrich the lively text.

Heather Ball, a professional writer and editor, is the author of three other books in the Women’s Hall of Fame Series: Remarkable Women Writers, Magnificent Women in Music, and Great Women Leaders. The latter was named an American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Project Recommended Book. Ball is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers in Toronto, and she became Centennial College’s first graduate to be honoured as Writer of the Year.

The book’s format is both unusual and effective. In one of two final sections, “Resources” and “Photo Credits,” she lists the published works of each artist and her publisher. A second, shorter section covers photo credits, and the location of all listed works. Rarely have I seen such a wealth of data in such a small space, and yet the text remains lively. Astonishing Women Artists offers excellent information on every artist along with personal portraits, and is highly recommended.