Book Of Women

The first part of this book presents a translation into English of the Hebrew compilation Sefer Abavat Nashim, the Book of Woman's Love, compiled in the late Middle Ages and preserved in a single copy of the work from Catalonia-Provence. Its contents are concerned with magic, sexuality, cosmetics and gynecology -- areas of knowledge essentially, though not exclusively, related to women. The second part is a historical study of Jewish women's lives and experiences during the late Middle Ages in the Mediterranean West. The object is to restore value to feminine knowledge and practices that were significant then and remain so today. The author focuses on the relation between women and medicine, and examines both women's knowledge and knowledge of science and scientific knowledge about women. This pioneering work makes a valuable contribution to the history of Jewish knowledge and Jewish women during the Middle Ages, and also makes a substantial contribution to the history of medicine.