REFERENCE

Cultural Encyclopedia of the Breast

by Merril D. Smith
Rowman & Littlefield. 2014. 288p. ed. by . photos. bibliog. ISBN 9780759123311. $85; ebk. ISBN 9780759123328. REF
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Independent scholar Smith (Women's Roles in Eighteenth-Century America; Encyclopedia of Rape) has edited the work of 44 contributors, an unusually high number of whom are graduate students and independent scholars, on the topic of breasts. The 141 signed essays range in length from one to three pages each; most are U.S. centric. Entries such as "Breast Milk," "Eating Disorders," "Maidenform," "Mammograms" and "Public Art" explore "the cultural aspect of this body part and cultural obsession" from "prehistory to the present" and include suggestions for further reading. While scholarly volumes exist on breast feeding, breast cancer, and the history of the breast, the publisher is correct in asserting this title as being the first related cultural encyclopedia.
VERDICT A useful reference source for academic and public library collections, especially those supporting interest or study in women's, gender, and sexuality studies; social sciences; and history.
Reviewed by Lura Sanborn, St. Paul's Sch. Lib., Concord, NH , Jan 01, 2015
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