Why read Alma Mater?

Book cover of Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth Century Beginnings to the 1930s

Book description

An examination of the founding and development of the Seven Sisters colleges--Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Wellesley, Smith, Radcliffe, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard--Alma Mater focuses on the ideas behind their establishment and the colleges' architectural, academic, and social histories, as well as those of their twentieth-century successors--Sarah Lawrence, Bennington, and Scripps.

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Higher education

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History

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Why read it?

1 author picked Alma Mater as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Nancy Woloch

Author

Horowitz explores the growth and impact of the “Seven Sisters” colleges (Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar, Wellesley), founded in the late 19th century, and three smaller women’s colleges begun after 1920. Laden with insight, the book shows how these ambitious schools won prominence and how campus architecture supported their lofty goals. A classic in the history of higher education and invaluable.

From Nancy's list on The best books on women’s colleges and their histories.