Women in
Science in
Literature

Sophie Germain: A Life in the Shadow of Euler, Silvia M. Montanari, 2018

Biography of Sophie Germain, an 18th-century French mathematician. The book explores her life, discoveries, and struggle against gender prejudice in the scientific field, highlighting a figure long forgotten in mathematics.

Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA, Brenda Maddox, 2002

This book recounts the life of Rosalind Franklin, a chemist and crystallographer whose work on DNA was essential to the discovery of its double-helix structure. It emphasises her overlooked role in scientific history and the issues of recognition.

Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age, Patricia Rife, 1999

Biography of Lise Meitner, an Austrian physicist who contributed to the discovery of nuclear fission. The book details her pioneering research and her role often overshadowed by male colleagues, as well as the ethical dilemmas surrounding the nuclear era.

Emmy Noether: The Mother of Modern Algebra, M. B. Wells, 1986

Portrait of Emmy Noether, a German mathematician whose theorems laid the foundations of modern algebra. The book describes her genius, scientific influence, and the difficulties she faced in gaining recognition in a male-dominated academic world.

Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier, 2009

Historical novel inspired by the life of Mary Anning, a 19th-century English palaeontologist. The story blends fiction and real events to showcase the passion, perseverance, and scientific discoveries of a pioneering woman often ignored by the scientific community of her time.

Dorothy Hodgkin: Unofficial Biography

Biography of Dorothy Hodgkin, a British chemist and Nobel laureate who elucidated the structure of complex molecules such as penicillin and vitamin B12. The book explores her scientific career and her lasting impact on biochemistry.