Untidy Origins

“A wonderful book. Lori Ginzberg reconstructs the world of her protagonist petitioners with exceptional skill, imagination, and empathy. Microhistory at its best.”—Charles W. McCurdy, University of Virginia

“This is a terrific book. Ginzberg addresses a critical topic — what ideas were possible when — through an intimate examination of a long-hidden petition by six ordinary women demanding the right to vote in New York State in 1846. It is a fascinating story told in a compelling fashion that addresses big issues about politics, identity, and gender.”—Nancy A. Hewitt, Rutgers University

“Offers the opportunity to expand historians' comprehension of the complex flow of ideas in a given time and place, even when those ideas may have been considered too dangerous or indecorous to be heard.”—The Historian

“Ginzberg’s work has done a great service by complicating the story of feminism’s origins and helping to reshape the agenda for future research.”—Journal of Social History

“Untidy Origins is an admirable introduction to the drama of the woman suffrage movement, rich in its evocation of the time and place.”—Women’s Review of Books

“Inventive and well-written. . . . A considerable tour de force of energetic, local history research-the labor, frustrations, and thrills of which Ginzberg makes visible and illuminating for her readers.”—Journal of American History

“This is an engagingly written book. Ginzberg’s use of what she calls 'leaps of imagination' allows her to go beyond analysis of the facts to explore the world of possibilities.”—American Historical Review

“Untidy Origins is a very readable book for people interested in the state, political culture, reform, and women.”New York Journal of American History