Gormley, Beatrice. Maria Mitchell; the soul of an astronomer.

GORMLEY, Beatrice. Maria Mitchell; the soul of an astronomer. Eerdmans. 137p. illus. bibliog. index. c1995. 0-8028-5264-5. $12.00. JS *

Maria Mitchell is introduced as a "star of the first magnitude, because she radiated a steady brilliance throughout her lifetime and long afterward." We learn about Maria's birth in 1818 and subsequent life in a large Quaker family in Nantucket. Her astronomer father fostered Maria's intellectual gifts and intense interest in the science of the skies. While still in her teens, she became a teacher and then a librarian at the Nantucket Atheneum, which housed public lectures by distinguished speakers. In 1847, Maria discovered a comet and won worldwide recognition. A European tour allowed her to experience life outside Nantucket and meet many other famed scientists. She became Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Observatory at the newly established Vassar College where, for 23 years, she lived her belief, "We are women studying together."

All through her extraordinary life, Maria Mitchell probed religious as well as scientific questions in her quest for truth. We learn of her dissatisfaction with the Quakers, her conflicting statements about slavery, her intense criticism of the church concerning Galileo, and her own occasional anguish of soul. Fascinating b/ w photographs add to this vibrant history of an extraordinary 19th-century scientist and of her and other women's struggle for equality. Maureen Griffin, Researcher, Everett, MA

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescent and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.