Women Who Read Are Dangerous [Hardcover]

What is it about a woman reading that has captivated hundreds of artists over the centuries? Stefan Bollmann’sWomen Who Read Are Dangerousexplores this popular subject in more than 70 artworks—drawings, paintings, photographs, and prints—by iconic artists such as Henri Matisse, Edward Hopper, Suzanne Valadon, August Sander, Rembrandt, and many more.

As the book’s provocative title indicates, a woman reading was once viewed as radical. In chapters, such as “Intimate Moments” and “The Search for Oneself,” Bollmann profiles how a woman with a book was once seen as idle or suspect and how women have gained autonomy through reading over the years. Bollmann offers intelligent and engaging commentary on each work of art inWomen Who Read Are Dangerous, telling us who the subject is, her relationship to the artist, and even what she is reading. With works ranging from a 1333 Annunciation painting of the angel Gabriel speaking to the Virgin Mary, book in hand, to twentieth-century works, such as a stunning photograph of Marilyn Monroe readingUlysses, this appealing survey provides a veritable slideshow of the many iterations of a woman and her book—a compelling subject to this day.

An excellent gift for graduates, teachers, or Mother’s Day, this elegant book should appeal to anyone interested in art, literature, or women’s history.

A lavish art book featuring 63 photographs and paintings of women readers, from saints and society figures to sad-eyed solitaries, scandalous dames, and sweet-faced sisters. Curated and edited by Stefan Bollmann, the volume spans from the Italian Renaissance to the late twentieth century. —ELLE

Will inspire you to live dangerously. —Bust

Bollmann’s collection is a clever investigation of the development of literacy and its continuing influence on both art and women’s rights. —l³&