Notable American Women, 1607-1950 is a three volume biographical dictionary published in 1971. Its origins lay in 1957 when Radcliffe College librarians, archivists, and professors began researching the need for a version of the Dictionary of American Biography dedicated solely to women. It was the first major modern reference book of women's biographies, although the genre was common in earlier eras, such as the 1804 A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women Of Every Age and Country by Matilda Betham. It appeared when Women's studies in U.S. universities had created great interest in understanding women's past. Upon its publication it was viewed by scholars as a magnificent contribution to understanding the role of women in U.S. history. Writing of the changes in perspective on bi