Dreamers of a New Day: Women Who Invented the Twentieth Century
Drawing on a wealth of original research, Sheila Rowbotham has written a groundbreaking new history examining how women came to be modern. Challenging existing conceptions of citizenship and culture, from ethical living to consumerism, sexuality to democracy, these dreamers shaped many of the issues that remain at the forefront of twenty-first-century life.
Hardback, 320 pages
ISBN: 9781844676132
June 2010
$29.95 / £17.99
Other Editions
Ebook
ISBN: 9781844678075
July 2011
$9.99
ISBN: 9781844677030
July 2011
$19.95 / £10.99 / $25.00CAN
Reviews
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“Rowbotham has a marvellous gift for explication and an eye for the illuminating quotation ... readers of this ambitious and eloquent book will agree with Rowbotham’s tough-minded conclusion: that in women’s ongoing effort to reconcile the personal and the political, 'there is no automatic accretion of improvement,' but the need to reinvent utopia in every era.”
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“As the 21st century falters forward with faith wars and economic collapse, women need to be at the forefront of reimagining our world. This book is a timely reminder that we have been here before.”
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“Exhilarating … admirably lucid … Reading about the wild hopes of these early 20th-century pioneers, you cannot fail to be moved by the sheer exuberance of their imaginations.”
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“Dreamers of a New Day is crowded, lively and inspiring ... Rowbotham’s book is a tribute to women’s faith in the possible but also to her own unquenchable belief in women.”
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“Dreamers of a New Day is short but vast in scope ... [its] an unusual work, utterly unlike anything else appearing at the moment under the heading "feminism", and for that reason it is important.”
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“Written lucidly and with characteristic generosity.”
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“Rowbotham does an excellent job of reminding the reader of the historical context of these women’s lives.”
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“A revelatory new history.”
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“This book should still inspire a new generation of dreamers.”
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“An impeccably researched ... and thoughtful book. [Its] scope is impressive; it touches on nearly every conceivable subject: fashion, socialism, unions, housework, sweatshops, communal utopias, children, consumption, and of course, sex ... It’s hard to imagine anyone who wouldn’t learn something from this book.”
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“[Dreamers of a New Day] explores the period when women overturned social norms to define themselves as individuals.”
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“Highly recommended.”
Blog
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Women against inequality: A Verso reading list for International Women's Day.
"What is 'Women's Day'? Is it really necessary?" Alexandra Kollontai asked readers of the Russian journal Pravda a centenary ago. "On Women's Day," she wrote, "the organised demonstrate against their lack of rights."
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Philosophy Football - International Women's Day Competition!
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Sheila Rowbotham announced as Writer in Residence at the British Library
Trailblazing socialist feminist Sheila Rowbotham has been announced as the first ever Writer in Residence at the British Library's Eccles Centre for American Studies, alongside author Naomi Wood. In this role, both writers will work to raise awareness of the British Library's North American collections and also make use of them for their next projects with the generous support from the Eccles Centre.
Rowbotham was selected due to her "innovative ideas" and the uniqueness of her proposed use of the Library's collections in researching her forthcoming book with Verso, Rebel Crossings: New Women, Free Lovers and Radicals in the US and Britain 1880 to 1910. The book will trace a small network of British and American radicals during the turn of the century.
