Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

Sanhueza-Cerda, Carlos, The Day Laborers of Science. Technical Work at the Astronomical Observatory of Chile (1852-1927). (SpringerBriefs in History of Science and Technology) 109 pp. 2025:4 (Springer, GW) <745-77>
ISBN 978-3-031-84349-5 paper ¥11,601.- (税込) EUR 49.99

This book fills a significant gap in the historiography of science by examining the overlooked contributions of non-astronomical personnel in the early National Astronomical Observatory of Chile. Drawing upon David Edgerton's critique of the bias towards academic scientists in historical narratives, this research delves into the roles of other scientists, technicians, collaborators, and other support staff in shaping scientific endeavors. The book analyzes archival documents and reveals the essential yet often unacknowledged labor involved in routine scientific tasks. By challenging the hierarchical structure of observatory organizations and spotlighting the significance of routine work, the book redefines the production of scientific knowledge beyond the conventional focus on eminent scientists. Emphasizing the importance of failures, conflicts, and controversies, this book unveils the hidden narratives of everyday scientific labor, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the history of astronomy in Chile.

都市部の女性－中世低地諸国における生活、愛、労働
Haemers, Jelle / Bardyn, Andrea / Delameillieure, C. (eds.), Urban Women: Life, Love, and Work in the Medieval Low Countries. 232 pp. 2025:6 (Leuven U. Pr., BE) <745-958>
ISBN 978-94-6270-449-7 paper ¥8,197.- (税込) EUR 27.00

Exploring women's stories of work, protest, and power in the medieval Low CountriesThe Middle Ages-a time often cast as a dark period when violence reigned and men dominated society. Women, as the deeply rooted cliche would have it, played scarcely any part. But this book tells a different story, one in which women step forward as the main characters. In the southern Low Countries, townswomen held substantial rights, which they used to conduct business, voice their opinions, and assert their will.Urban Women presents a different and lesser-known image of the late Middle Ages, from 1250 to 1550. The authors trace the lives of women protesting, marrying, making love, working, and engaging in the daily life of Low Countries towns. In doing so, this book gives voice to wealthy businesswomen, laborers, religious women, criminals, and sex workers, spotlighting the remarkable figures who shaped a "women's town" within a man's world.

P.フランクス著　日本における家事、消費、女性の労働　1600～1940年－生活水準の決定における無償労働の役割を理解する－
Francks, Penelope, Housework, Consumption and Female Labour in Japan, 1600-1940: Understanding the Role of Unpaid Work in Determining Living Standards. (Palgrave Studies in Economic History) 77 pp. 2025:2 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <745-262>
ISBN 978-3-031-83692-3 hard ¥9,280.- (税込) EUR 39.99

This book illuminates the largely neglected contribution of unpaid, primarily female household labour to economic production and living standards in Japan from the early modern period to the eve of World War Two. The difficulties involved in measuring time devoted to housework and other forms of household labour in the past have meant that most attempts to assess the process of industrialisation have failed to recognise the ways in which such labour is essential to the sustainability and welfare of the population. In this context, Japan presents a significant example of a historical case of industrialisation occurring within an economy that continued to be dominated by the institution of the household. This short study argues that this must have led to a particularly significant underestimation of Japanese living standards in the past, with implications for comparative and global analysis, and to neglect of the key role of women in the historical economy. Providing a nuanced yet concise analysis, this book will be valuable reading for scholars of economic history and feminist economics, as well as introducing important comparative angles for researchers in Japanese studies and gender studies more widely.