I like those books that tell us about the prominent and perhaps little known writers in our state. Or county courthouses. Or taverns. Or former governors. Or . . . you name any kind of aggregation and some enterprising soul has probably written a book about it.

Pictures and paragraphs.

Short reads.

But hugely interesting if you care at least two sticks for the subject.

I found a book about Wisconsin women at our local AAUW used book sale. Wisconsin Women: A Gifted Heritage, published in 1982 by the Wisconsin Division of, yes, the American Association of University Women.

I paged into the coffee-table book. Women’s rights advocate Frances Willard, political mover and shaker Belle Case LaFollette, novelist and playwright Edna Ferber, and painter Georgia O’Keefe are here. Even the entertainer Hildegarde and one-time Israeli prime minister Golda Meir.

That last one surprised my wife Marge as it may surprise you.

Golda grew up in Milwaukee, was a librarian there and taught in a neighborhood Yiddish school for a while. As a condition for marrying Morris Meyerson, she insisted he move with her to Palestine when the time was right. It was right in 1921. Golda rose in the political movement that established present-day Israel, served in a number of cabinet positions and, in 1969, was elected the fourth prime minister of Israel – the first woman to hold that office.

You guessed right. I bought the book.

Tomorrow: The second book in my bargain bag