Encyclopedia of American Women and Religion, 2nd Ed. By June Melby Benowitz. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2017. 2 vols. Acid-free $198 (ISBN 978-1-4408-3986-3). E-book available (978-1-4408-3987-0), call for pricing.

Women have had a major role in religion throughout history but have been consistently overlooked, providing a sound purpose and intention for this two-volume encyclopedia. The expertise shown in the comprehensive coverage is a credit to the author, June Melby Benowitz, a history professor whose research emphasizes the history of women. These volumes primarily cover the nineteenth, twentieth, and early twenty-first century. The individual entries are relatively short, between five and six paragraphs. It is a perfect starting point in the research process for students in American history, women’s studies, or theology classes.

The coverage extends to the people, denominations, laws, court cases, social movements, and societies that have shaped American religion through the context of women. There are no other similar books or encyclopedias available. Sisters and Saints: Women and American Religion (Oxford University Press, 2007) provides a general, narrative treatment of the topic without the encompassing list of relevant elements for the subject area found in this book.

As reference sources continue to digitize, print encyclopedias will need to exhibit a similar ease of use to remain viable. The index for this set is in volume 2. It does not mention the volume number where the entry is found, just the page number. The full table of contents for the entire work is found at the beginning of both volumes. There is a “See also” list of cross references at the end of each entry. Highlighting or italicizing the “See also” references within the entry itself would make it easier to see relationships between concepts and the people in this encyclopedia. The “Further Reading” list at the end of each entry is strong, with books and reliable websites for additional research. The bibliography is extensive but would be more usable if it were broken down into broad subject areas. There is a good, extensive chronology from 1637 to 2014 that points to a significant woman or historical event that shaped women and religion in America, providing necessary context.

Without contrary intervention of librarians or teachers, many students start their research process on the internet. Teachers often do not want students to use reference books as sources for a research paper. This type of book, covering a niche subject area, can save a lot of time with fruitless internet searching. Formatting this type of book into one volume with lengthier entries would shift it from a starting point for the research process to have it also serve as a source.—Terry Darr, Library Director, Loyola Blakefield, Baltimore, Maryland