The Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Vol. 1: In the School of Anti-Slavery, 1840-1866 (review)

Book Reviews Edited by Thomas D. Hamm The Selected Papers ofElizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Vol. 1: In the School ofAnti-Slavery, 1840-1866. Ed. by Ann D. Gordon. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1997. xlv+ 640pp. Illustrations, charts, notes, and index. $60.00. This outstanding collection is the first of six volumes which will complete "a three-stage project to collect and publish the papers of the preeminent advocates of women's legal and political rights in nineteenthcentury America" (xvii). Although 14,000 documents related to the careers of Anthony (SBA) and Cady Stanton (ECS) have been available on microfilm since 1991, Gordon's printed collection is designed to make the "most important documents ... accessible to more readers" (xvii-xviii). Not only has Gordon succeeded in making these papers available to a wider audience, her arrangement and annotations will illuminate them even for readers familiar with the material. The first strength of this collection is in its selection of documents. Although Gordon was able to include only eight percent of the documents available for this first period of SBA and ECS 's careers, she has done a thoroughjob ofapplying three clearcriteria: 1) to documentthe two careers, 2) to represent differences between their records, and 3) to record the important stories of each year in the period (xxxiii). Gordon should first be commended for the range of documents she has chosen. There are samples of all major forms of communication extant for these two leaders—letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles, and tracts. Gordon has included both commonly anthologized public statements such as the Declaration of Sentiments as well as less familiar and more private texts. For example, we are offered a rare glimpse of SBA's self-doubt when she reveals "I sometimes fear that, / too shall faint by the wayside—and drop out of the ranks of the faithful few" (353). The collection is also enhanced by the selective inclusion of documents by SBA and ECS 's family, friends, and associates such as Henry Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, Angelina Grimké Weld, and Wendell Phillips. A second strength, the presentation of the documents, sets this collection apart particularly from other anthologies in women's history. With the exception of diary and account book entries, Gordon transcribes all documents in their entirety with original punctuation and emendations. As a result, many passages which are excerpted in other histories can now be understood in context and read with the author's personal style intact. Gordon is the best contemporary editor at retaining SBA's unique punctuation style which is essential for appreciating the intensity of her opinions. 64Quaker History The issue of textual integrity is particularly significant for the speeches which have rarely been reprinted without abridgement. Finally, this collection is perhaps most noteworthy for Gordon's extensive array of supporting materials. The introductory notes on biography and editorial policy are extremely helpful without overwhelming the primary material. The index is very thorough and will make this volume particularly useful to those scholars interested in specific individuals or issues. However , the annotations to each entry are the most useful addition even for readers ofthe microfilm collection. Gordon and her editorial assistants have painstakingly researched all names and events in order to make these texts as clear as possible. Each annotation itself is carefully documented adding further to the heuristic value of this collection. The only limitation of this volume is its subtitle, "In the School of AntiSlavery ," which is needlessly misleading. Although both SBA and ECS did emerge from the context ofanti-slavery reform, SBA in particular was more influenced by temperance activity as these documents make clear. In addition, the subtitle overlooks three important aspects of Gordon's selection : 1) the wealth of family information provided, 2) the inclusion of documents accentuating SBA and ECS 's general concern for women exhibited throughout their other reform activities, and 3) the transformation of the women's rights movement during the Civil War. In sum, Volume I of the selected papers of SBA and ECS has been worth waiting for and readers interested in these two leaders specifically or the women's rights movement generally will find themselves eagerly awaiting...