By combining biography with gender, this two-volume biographical world history reader fully integrates women into traditional political and social narratives. Profiles feature compelling political figures, activists, and artists from all regions of the globe--the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East--and primary sources place them in context by illustrating the social conditions and political issues of their time.Each chapter includes biographies of one man and one woman, followed by four to eight primary sources. The primary sources range from political writings and letters to art and memoirs, and expose students to different types of historical evidence. Each chapter also includes background material on the political and social climate of the period, as well as brief introductions to other historical figures.