Notable American Women, 1607 1950; a Biographical Dictionary.

Notable American Women, 1607-1950 is a three volume biographical dictionary published in 1971. Its origins lay in 1957 when Radcliffe College librarians, archivists, and professors began researching the need for a version of the Dictionary of American Biography dedicated solely to women. It was the first major modern reference book of women's biographies, although the genre was common in earlier eras, such as the 1804 A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women Of Every Age and Country by Matilda Betham. It appeared when Women's studies in U.S. universities had created great interest in understanding women's past. Upon its publication it was viewed by scholars as a magnificent contribution to understanding the role of women in U.S. history. Writing of the changes in perspective on biography inspired by Notable American Women, 1607-1950 Susan Ware observed, "1,359 entries showed the range and depth of women’s contributions to American life, a pointed correction to women’s near-total exclusion from existing biographical dictionaries at the time and a dramatic spur to further research."

Notable American Women: The Modern Period : a Biographical Dictionary updated the set for subjects who died between 1951 and 1976. The work for that volume was a joint project of Radcliffe College and Harvard University Press funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In 2004 volume 5 was issued: Notable American Women : a Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century.