Dr. Harold L. Smith, Professor of History at the University of Houston-Victoria, has authored a revised edition of his book, The British Women’s Suffrage Campaign, 1866-1928.

 

Published in Great Britain by Longman in June, Smith said the book should be available in the United States by late August.

 

The revised and enlarged edition was written at his publisher’s request, Smith stated. “The publisher was so pleased with the first edition of the book that they approached me about rewriting it to incorporate the new research that has appeared on the subject since the first edition appeared in 1998. I was extremely pleased and honored by the request, since most authors have a hard time getting published.”

 

While Smith’s first edition has received glowing reviews from across the Atlantic, his students here in Victoria have also found his understanding of British history and his writing style extraordinary.

 

“I’ve had the pleasure of reading the first edition in a course taught by Dr. Smith,” said Martha Matura, a UHV graduate. “His books are clear and easy to follow, and I can see why there was a demand to have it updated. Dr. Smith's in-depth focus into this study is exceptional. I knew I was being taught by a leading authority in this field because I would read scholarly journal articles citing Dr. Smith's work, and that was very impressive.”

 

Smith said those who have read the first edition will find the new version extensively reworked, a process that took him two years. He said the new edition provides the latest research on the role played by the two leading suffrage organizations: the democratic National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies and the Women’s Social and Political Union, whose members were called “Suffragettes” because of their militant tactics.

 

“This book offers an interpretative analysis of both groups’ motives, strategies, and ideologies,” said Smith. “In addition, I also try to show how certain events—take World War I, for example—influenced this movement.”

 

“UHV is determined to provide the latest research and theory to our students,” said UHV President Tim Hudson. “To get this mission accomplished it takes one important element: knowledgeable faculty members—like Dr. Smith—who are leading authorities in their respective areas of research. Dr. Smith’s hard work means that students will graduate from UHV with an understanding of the latest scholarship on the subject.”

 

Smith has been a UHV faculty member since 1976. He was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford in 1994, and in 2000 British historians honored him by making him a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain. Although best known for his work on British women’s history, he is also the co-author of Minnie Fisher Cunningham: A Suffragist’s Life in Politics, which was published by Oxford University Press and which won the 2003 Liz Carpenter book award.