Like the title says: 500 books written by women, organized into categories like Art, Mothers and Mothering, Conflicting Cultures, and Work (21 categories in total). The types of books recommended are delightfully varied: novels, short stories, essays, memoir, spanning time and location. An effort is made to include minority authors as well as lesser known works by great authors although many standards are included. The reviews are trenchant and meaty, summarizing the plot and the reason for inclusion in the chapter. One of the criteria for inclusion in this book was availability--the authors only recommended books that were in-print when this book was published (1994). Sadly, 10 years later, many of these books are out-of-print and difficult to find--my one complaint. There are nice indices included that sort the books into other categories: date, genre, region, even sexuality or race. Unfortunately, it does not appear this volume will be updated and reissued, but even now, it is a lovely resource for someone looking for a good book. ( )

Great reference. Found some interesting titles in this book and have read several of them. ( )

A friend in the States sent me this when she knew I belonged to a reading group. I have dipped into it a few times but can't say I have used it regularly. A high preponderence of American authors. ( )