This is a seminal three-volume work, that covers the history of women throughout the world, from earliest times to the present. Marilyn French, internationally bestselling author of The Women's Room, has spent over two decades with a team of researchers and historians examining women's roles and activities in various civilizations and societies throughout the ages. In this final volume of her trilogy on the history of women, Marilyn French examines the role of women in the 19th and 20th centuries. The triumph of capitalism in the 19th century marked the lowest point for women, particularly for those caught in inhumane working conditions in industry and living in squalid cities. These years also marked a turning point, as women stood together and demanded an end to subjugation. They claimed the right to education, to professions, to the vote, and to own property. Everything exploded in the 20th century, which was convulsed by revolution, genocide, and war. The two world wars gave way to socialism, fascism, communism, anti-imperialism, and calls for democracy and equality. Women played a part in all these movements, yet change proved elusive. end of the century, the most enduring reforms resulted from peaceful campaigns by unions, civil rights workers, and feminists. At the dawn of the 21st century, there is hope for women. The feminist movement is the most important revolution ever. It challenges the root of patriarchy - the idea that one sex is superior to the other and has authority over it.

A landmark in feminist literature, THE WOMEN'S ROOM is a biting social commentary of a world gone silently haywire. Written in the 1970s but with profound resonance today, this is a modern allegory that offers piercing insight into the social norms accepted blindly and revered so completely. 'Today's "desperate housewives" eat your heart out! This is the original and still the best, a page-turner that makes you think. Essential reading' Kate Mosse 'They said this book would change lives - and it certainly changed mine' Jenni Murray 'Reading THE WOMEN'S ROOM was an intense and wonderful experience. It is in my DNA' Kirsty Wark 'THE WOMEN'S ROOM took the lid off a seething mass of women's frustrations, resentments and furies; it was about the need to change things from top to bottom; it was a declaration of independence' OBSERVER

The twenty-one-million copy bestseller-available again for a new generation of readers Originally published in 1977, The Women's Room was a novel that-for the first time-expressed the inner lives of women who left education and professional advancement behind to marry in the 1950s, only to find themselves adrift and unable to support themselves after divorce in the 1970s. Some became destitute, a few went insane. But many went back to school in the heyday of the Women's Liberation movement, and were swept up in the promise of equality for both sexes. Marilyn French's characters represent this wide cross section of American women, and her wry and pointed voice gives depth and emotional intensity to this timeless book that remains controversial and completely relevant.

Analyzing feudalism in Europe and Japan and European expropriation of lands and peoples across the globe, Marilyn French poses a provocative question: how and why did women, with no power or independence, nourish and preserve the family unit and their own culture?

Marilyn French's "The Women's Room" crystallized the issues that ignited the women's movement and was translated into twenty languages. She received her PhD from Harvard and taught English at Hofstra University, Harvard University, and Holy Cross College.

Internationally acclaimed author and critic Margaret Atwood is the author of numerous works of fiction, including "The Handmaid's Tale" and "The Blind Assassin."

An extraordinary memoir on facing death . . . and choosing life Where there's a will . . . Given a death sentence after being diagnosed with cancer, Marilyn French fought back . . . and won. A Season in Hell is the story of her battle to survive against overwhelming odds. A smoker for almost half a century, French was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the summer of 1992. She was given a year to live, but five years later, she was, incredibly, cancer free. In this inspiring account, French chronicles her journey, from her reaction to the devastating news, to the chemotherapy that almost killed her, to her miraculous return to life following a two-week coma. She shares her feelings on apathetic doctors, the vital importance of a support network of friends and family, and how her near-death experience forever altered her perspective and priorities.