This volume is designed as a general reference tool for the study of the history of Massachusetts. The only book of its type, the volume focuses largely on local history, emphasizing the new social history, and containing biographies of leading figures. Since Massachusetts history and U.S. history largely intertwined during the colonial and early national period, the book provides information on trends in early American history, and provides scholars and other interested readers with an up-to-date summary of major works and important interpretations of each period and of relevant themes, such as urban history, women in history, and oral history.

The purpose of the volume is to provide, in one location, sketches of persons important to American nursing. It is intended as a companion volume to "Dictionary of American Medical Biography" (Greenwood, 1984) and utilizes a similar layout: biographical information, annotations concerning the subject's contribution to American nursing, a maximum of five important or representative works, and several selective references. . . . The consolidation of biographical information and suggested references for detailed historical data makes this a useful tool for graduate and undergraduate students who are developing a paper or presentation. "RQ"

The Dictionary of American Nursing Biography is the first work to provide a detailed account of the lives and contributions of those who have had the most significant impact on the development of nursing as a profession. The product of an intensive research effort, it brings together a wealth of previously unpublished material as well as information from a wide range of published sources. Comprising a total of 196 biographical sketches, the "Dictionary" offers portraits of nineteenth-century pioneers as well as more recent innovators involved in the process of professionalization in specific areas, including military and public health nursing, nursing administration, and nursing education. Each entry describes major professional contributions and supplies data on the nurse's background, education, and career. Important or representative writings are listed, together with bibliographies and other source materials. The appendices list biographical subjects by place of birth, the state in which they worked, and their specialty or type of nursing. A comprehensive index provides ready access to specific information.