A leading authority in the field here provides the first synthetic and comprehensive history of women in American higher education in over fifty years. "Essential reading for feminists and educators, appealing to general readers as well, this study joins familiar material with new insights gleaned from fiction, journals and the records of deans and dons." -Publishers Weekly "An absorbing history of women's higher education in the United States." -Patricia Meyer Spacks, The New Republic "Will be invaluable to social historians or anyone interested in the education of women." -Sue Beckwith, New Directions for Women "An aid and resource for women to continue their struggle for equality, it is a work of both scholarship and inspiration." -Jurgen Herbst, Reviews in American History "[An] excellent history." -Christine Bolt, Times Higher Education Supplement "A major contribution to the exploration of women's past." -Joyce Antler, American Educator "This marvelous and monumental book will be an enduring classic--a major contribution to our understanding of historical changes in the lives of American women during the past two hundred years.  It is a very human book, filled with humor as well as statistics, and it will be enjoyed by a general as well as an academic audience." -Kathryn Kish Sklar