Letters to MS., 1972-1987

Marking its 15th anniversary, the feminist magazine presents a selection from the astonishing number of letters20,000 were elicited by the first issue in 1972received from its readers over the years. Some were never published, but all are now preserved in the archives of the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe. This selection, edited with commentary by historian Thom, is organized chronologically and in thematic groupings. Letters traditionally have been a major feature of the magazine, providing a lively forum for intensely personal expression on a range of concerns from sex, sexist language (""What's a Ms.?''), the revolution in the workplace and the debate over the Equal Rights Amendment. The readers who write are intellectually and emotionally engaged, some even resorting to verse and humor. As the collection celebrates the magazine, it also traces the ``ongoing history of change'' and discovery for modern American women. (July 17)