Historian Susan Ware discussed her new book, “It’s One O’clock and Here is Mary Margaret McBride: A Radio Biography” (New York University Press, 2004), at the Library of Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005.

McBride (1899-1976) was a powerful force in radio during the latter part of the 1930s, through the 1940s and into the early 1950s. With a daily audience of nearly 6 million—most of whom were women—McBride’s talk show featured interviews with prominent people from all walks of life. Ware is a noted expert on 20th century American women. She was the chair of the Library of Congress’ Scholars Advisory Committee for “American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women’s History and Culture in the United States,” a 420-page resource guide, and wrote the introduction to the volume.

The Center for the Book uses the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. This event was co-sponsored by the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, which holds hundreds of programs broadcast by McBride, a prominent radio personality. For information about Center for the Book visit its Web site at