Women

A SHORT HISTORY OF WOMEN--John Langdon-Davies--Viking ($3). It is no compliment to women that histories which deal with their past behavior must be so labeled; histories of the world's affairs seldom include them to any large extent. Of the many histories which have been devoted to women, perhaps this is the most enlightening. It follows the history, not of different individuals, but of women as a class through savagery to their present civilization. Why they differ from men, what they may hope to accomplish; these are the points discussed. Several points are settled, among them this: "We have constantly seen throughout this history . . . that the right to work is absolutely essential to the happiness of women. . . ." If the title is in a sense a slur, a compliment to femininity is the distinguished style and brilliant perception of Author John Langdon-Davies, previously noted for The New Age of Faith.