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Half title + TP + iii-v = Proem + vii = Preface + 1-340 + 1 blank leaf. Octavo. First Edition.NOTE: The author's name on the title page is Charlotte Perkins Stetson - the name taken from her first husband whom she divorced in 1884. Charlotte adopted the name Gilman after her second marriage in 1900. This, her first non-fiction book, Women and Economics was published to generally positive reviews, and Gilman became "the leading intellectual in the women's movement" almost overnight. The book was translated into seven different languages and was often compared favorably to John Stuart Mill's The Subjection of Woman. The book was also well received among academics, despite its lack of academic scholarship. Conservative reviewers even respected the book, albeit slightly grudgingly. One reviewer for The Independent wrote, "While the ideas of this author may not appeal to us, we must admit that there is some force in her criticisms, and some reason in her suggestions." Gilman's feminist friends and colleagues praised the book upon its release, with Jane Addams calling it a "masterpiece," and Florence Kelley writing that it was "the first real, substantial contribution made by a woman to the science of economics." Miriam Schneir included this text in her anthology Feminism: The Essential Historical Writings, labelling it as one of the essential works of feminism. Considered by many to be her single greatest work, the book touched on a few typical Gilman themes: the transformation of marriage, the family, and the home, along with her central argument that "the economic independence and specialization of women as essential to the improvement of marriage, motherhood, domestic industry, and racial improvement."The 1890s were a period of intense political debate and economic challenges, with the Women's Movement seeking the vote and other substantive reforms. Women were "entering the work force in swelling numbers, seeking new opportunities, and shaping new definitions of themselves." It was near the end of this tumultuous decade that Gilman's very popular book emerged.Centrally, Gilman argues that women must change their cultural identities. Early on, she mentions that humans are the only species in which the female must depend on the male for survival. That dependence requires women to pay off their debt through domestic services, or "sex-functions". Gilman argues that women "work longer and harder than most men, and not solely in maternal duties." Further, Gilman states that female activities in general are directed by men. These sexual distinctions have led to an odd distribution of power and have been detrimental to both genders, in her view.These sexual distinctions have left women behind and allowed men to claim credit for human progress. Gilman argues that women step into the dual roles of mother and martyr, and pass these roles down to their children, creating a continuing image of women as unpaid workers and nurturers. This in turn, has stunted women's creative and personal growth.Gilman was a confirmed suffragist, but did not believe progress would happen if women were only given the vote. Progress was not measured only by states that allowed women to vote, but also "in the changes legal, social, mental and physical, which mark the advance of the mother of the world toward her full place." A serviceable, presentable and collectible - if unsophisticated - copy of this extremely important and fluential early work on feminism and economics. Original publisher's burgundy cloth with a worn paper spine label (but still 80% readable). Wear along the spine crown, foot and edges. Otherwise a tight, bright and clean copy of this work by Gilman. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Seller Inventory # 1440
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