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Mentioned as Sarah Reid's upcoming book, due out in September. It is presented as a companion to her academic and fictional work on the history of midwifery. Listeners wanting to explore the factual truths behind early modern midwifery would be interested in this title.

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Described as the first English-language midwifery guide, appearing in 1540 as a translation of a much-translated text originally from German, which passed through Latin before being rendered into English. Sarah Reid notes it stayed in print in various forms for well over 70 years, with versions still appearing in the 1620s. Essential reading for anyone interested in how early modern medical knowledge about childbirth was disseminated across Europe.

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Sarah Reid mentions this as a brand new book that came out the previous month, focused on women's lived experience of childbirth and community rather than a purely medical perspective. She highlights it as part of a scholarly trend toward centring women's own experiences of giving birth rather than relying on male-authored medical textbooks. A listener interested in social history of childbirth in the Georgian era would find this valuable.

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Referenced as the first midwifery guide written with a woman's name, published in 1671. Sarah Reid discusses at length how Sharp drew on texts translated by Nicholas Culpepper and others, read widely, and argued that the best midwives need both 'speculative' (theoretical) and practical knowledge. Sharp also opened her book by claiming the role of midwife as set out in Exodus, linking midwifery to religious duty. A fascinating primary source for understanding how a 17th-century woman practitioner positioned herself against male medical authorities.

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Described as a book written in French in 1668 by a Parisian physician, later translated into English, which discussed women getting onto the bed in a semi-recumbent position for the final stages of labour. Sarah Reid notes that while Mauriceau has the reputation for first recommending this position, the passage actually derived from Aristotle. Relevant for understanding how birthing positions changed and the myth connecting Louis XIV to women giving birth on their backs.

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Jennifer Worth's memoirs are discussed as the basis for the hit TV series Call the Midwife. Sarah Reid clarifies that Worth was not a nun but one of the midwives who worked alongside the nuns at Nonnatus House in Poplar. The memoirs are described as first-hand accounts of working with some of the poorest women in the country, living in overcrowded, insanitary conditions. Both Sarah Reid and Tom Holland express great admiration for the authenticity and social significance of the TV adaptation based on these memoirs.

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Sarah Reid discusses this poem at length as a deeply touching example of how women prepared for the possibility of death in childbirth. Published in the 1650s, the poem is addressed to Bradstreet's husband, asking him to care for their existing children and not let them come to harm from a potential stepmother. Reid says she teaches it every year and cannot get through it without tearing up. While a single poem rather than a standalone book, Bradstreet's collected poetry is widely available and this poem alone makes a compelling case for reading her work.

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Pliny the Elder's encyclopedic work is referenced for its midwifery advice, which Tom Holland reads aloud: that a difficult labour could be resolved if someone throws a stone or missile over the house that has killed three living creatures (a human, a boar, and a bear) with a single stroke, ideally a light cavalry spear. This is discussed as an example of the ancient blurring between medical advice and magical thinking, and the kind of male-authored 'mansplaining' about childbirth that persisted for centuries.

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Sarah Stone, a midwife from Bristol originally from Somerset, is mentioned in the context of midwifery training and apprenticeship. In 1737, Stone wrote that three years of apprenticeship was sufficient to train as a midwife, though others argued for six years. This reference illustrates the debate over how long midwifery training should last in the early 18th century. Stone's published work is a rare first-hand account by a female practitioner of her era.

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Sarah Reid discusses her own historical novel about a midwife practicing in 1665 against the backdrop of the Great Plague. The title refers to 'gossips,' the women who attended other women in childbirth — the midwife in the novel is the best in the area, hence 'The Gossip's Choice.' Listeners interested in historical fiction about early modern midwifery and the Great Plague would find this compelling.