After fleeing from occupied Beograd to the liberated territory in the Sumadija, Vladimir Dedijer began his life as a Yugoslavian Partisan. Commissioned at the request of then Commander Tito, Vladimir Dedijer began writing his diaries in April of 1941 to record the daily lives, battles, and casualties of the Yugoslavian Partisan Army. The War Diaries of Vladimir Dedijer represents a wealth of primary information about the lives and struggles of the Partisan brigades. There can be no complete understanding of Tito's Yugoslavia without knowing the Diaries' account of the extent of the Second World War's impact on Yugoslavia's people. Tito, who was a frequent reader of the Diaries as the Partisan Army fought across Yugoslavia, called this work "Our Great Obituary." To maintain a diary under the hardships of war was difficult. Among the hazards were river crossings, rain, self-censorship should the Germans find the diaries, and in many instances a shortage of ink. In fact, ink was in such demand that German supplies were targeted by Partisans during raids. Despite these difficulties, Dedijer continually recorded day-to-day life throughout the war. These three volumes contain his writings up to the liberation of Prague in November of 1944. The Diaries were originally published in Yugoslavia more than forty years ago, and have since gone through four editions. The original publication in 1945 caused great debate because of Dedijer's fierce commitment to speaking his views and his uncompromising dedication to recording what he lived. Many felt that Dedijer should not make public the names of Partisan heroes who supported Stalin during the bitter Stalin-Tito split, but in keeping with his values, Dedijer refused, with Tito supporting his decision.

In this volume, Georges Duby examines the lives of prominent twelfth-century French women as well as popular female literary figures of that time. Focusing on medieval notions of women and love, Duby looks for the ideological motivations for the representation of the female sex. He analyzes the ways in which women's biographies were written and how female characters were treated in fable and legend, pointing to the social and political forces at work in these representations.

The historical personages include Eleanor of Aquitaine whose several marriages brought her wealth and autonomy; the virtuous Héloïse; and the visionary recluse Juette. Duby also studies the literary figures of St. Marie-Madeleine, a composite figure who personified the essential female traits of frailty, ardent love, and evangelicalism; Iseut, literary beloved of Tristan; and two other emblematic figures, Dorée d'Amour and Phénix—women who became ladies through chivalrous love.

Provocative, informative, and entertaining, this book offers new insight on courtly love and the representations of women under medieval patriarchy.

The American Historical Association's Committee on Women Historians commissioned some of the pioneering figures in women's history to prepare essays in their respective areas of expertise. Volume 1 of the three-volume series addresses the comparative themes that the editors and contributors see as central to understanding women's history around the world. Authors like Margaret Strobel, Alice Kessler-Harris, and Mrinalini Sinha provide overviews of the theory and practice of women's and gender history and analyze family history, nationalism, and work. Editor Bonnie G. Smith rounds out the collection with essays on religion, race, ethnicity, and the different varieties of feminism. 

Authoritative and wide-ranging, Women's History in Global Perspective, Volume 1, offers an invaluable resource on the thought and methods of a generation's leading figures in feminist scholarship. 

Contributors: Marjorie Bingham, Julia Clancy-Smith, Susan Kent, Alice Kessler-Harris, Mary Jo Maynes, Pamela Scully, Mrinalini Sinha, Margaret Strobel, and Ann B. Waltner