Overview

'Womenhave won their political independence. Now is the time for them to achievetheir economic freedom too.'This was the great rallying cry of thepioneers who, in 1919, created the Women's Engineering Society. Spearheaded byKatharine and Rachel Parsons, a powerful mother and daughter duo, and CarolineHaslett, whose mission was to liberate women from domestic drudgery, it was theworld's first professional organisation dedicated to the campaign for women's rights.MagnificentWomen and their Revolutionary Machines tells thestories of the women at the heart of this group - from their success in fanningthe flames of a social revolution to their significant achievements inengineering and technology. It centres on the parallel but contrasting lives ofthe two main protagonists, Rachel Parsons and Caroline Haslett - one born toprivilege and riches whose life ended in dramatic tragedy; the other who rosefrom humble roots to become the leading professional woman of her age andmistress of the thrilling new power of the twentieth century: electricity.In this fascinating book, acclaimedbiographer Henrietta Heald also illuminates the era in which the society wasfounded. From the moment when women in Britain were allowed to vote for thefirst time, and to stand for Parliament, she charts the changing attitudes towomen's rights both in society and in the workplace.

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9781783526604

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Reviews

'A fascinating social history, charting the achievements of early twentieth-century female engineers in the air, on the ground, and at sea' Times Literary Supplement 'Well-written, vigorous... shows how Britain's female engineers were key figures in modernisation.' BBC History Magazine 'At its heart, this is a group biography of the Women's Engineering Society... Yet Henrietta Heald also spins her story outward, taking in the ways in which the society's members became pioneers not just in engineering and technology but also politics, suffrage and social reform.' History Revealed 'Meticulously researched... provides a fascinating account of a century of change for women' Journal of SMEE

'A fascinating social history' Times Literary Supplement 'Well-written, vigorous... shows how Britain's female engineers were key figures in modernisation' BBC History Magazine 'At its heart, this is a group biography of the Women's Engineering Society... Yet Henrietta Heald also spins her story outward, taking in the ways in which the society's members became pioneers not just in engineering and technology but also politics, suffrage and social reform' History Revealed 'Meticulously researched... provides a fascinating account of a century of change for women' Journal of SMEE

Never before told story of Britain's first female engineers, marking the centenary of Women's Engineering Society. Henrietta Heald has been shortlisted for the H. W. Fisher Best First Biography Prize and the Portico Prize for non-fiction. For fans of Lara Feigel, Adam Rutherford, Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel, Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science - And the World by Rachel Swaby. Beautifully illustrated with black-and-white archive photographs.

'Well-written, vigorous... shows how Britain's female engineers were key figures in modernisation.' BBC History Magazine 'At its heart, this is a group biography of the Women's Engineering Society... Yet Henrietta Heald also spins her story outward, taking in the ways in which the society's members became pioneers not just in engineering and technology but also politics, suffrage and social reform.' History Revealed

Author Information

Henrietta Heald is the author of William Armstrong, Magician of the North which was shortlisted for the H. W. Fisher Best First Biography Prize and the Portico Prize for non-fiction. She was chief editor of Chronicle of Britain and Ireland and Reader’s Digest Illustrated Guide to Britain’s Coast. Her other books include Coastal Living, La Vie est Belle, and a National Trust guide to Cragside, Northumberland.

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