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CORVALLIS - An anthology of stories, memoirs, letters, poems and oral histories about a diverse group of women who helped settle the Pacific Northwest has been published by the Oregon State University Press.

"Pacific Northwest Women, 1815-1925: Lives, Memories and Writings" was edited by Jean M. Ward and Elaine A. Maveety. The book is a paperback version of a previous release by the OSU Press.

From the writings of Abigail Scott Duniway, a journalist and women's rights activist, to the oral history of former slave Amanda Gardener Johnson, "Pacific Northwest Women" looks at the lives of a variety of women in the early history of Oregon and Washington.

"The book records the experiences and challenges women faced in the Pacific Northwest during this early period and explores how race, class, gender and place shaped their lives," said Tom Booth, marketing manager for the OSU Press.

In preparing the book, the editors researched the works of more than 200 women, finally selecting both the prominent - Duniway, Narcissa Whitman and Sarah Winnemucca - as well as the forgotten. The writings include the tales of missionaries, homesteaders, former slaves, schoolteachers, homemakers, artists, suffragists, an architect, a doctor, an evangelist and a prostitute.

"Pacific Northwest Women" is available at book stores and libraries, or can be ordered directly through the OSU Press for $17.95, plus shipping and handling. For more information, call the press at 541-737-3166.