Marilyn French (1929-2009) was an American writer and notable feminist scholar. She received her BA from Hofstra College (now Hofstra University) in 1951; in 1964, she returned to Hofstra to earn her M.A. and later earned her PhD from Harvard University. French is best known for her first novel, the 21-million-copy bestseller The Women's Room, which is considered one of the most influential works of the modern feminist movement, and its sequel, In the Name of Friendship. She spent fifteen years researching and writing her immensely readable four volume women's history series From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in the World. Her other non-fiction works include Beyond Power: On Women, Men, and Morals; The War Against Women; and her memoir on her battle with esophageal cancer, A Season in Hell. In addition to writing, French taught at Hofstra, Harvard, and Holy Cross College.