Artists have long been attracted to the challenge of capturing the intimacy and tranquillity of reading. This book brings together a compelling selection of beautiful paintings, drawings, prints and photographs of women reading through the ages. Engaging commentaries explain the context in which each image was created, while a fascinating introduction explores the history of women and reading, offering an insight into how the activity enabled women to escape the narrow confines of domestic life and gain knowledge of the outside, male-dominated world. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Complemented by more than 70 color illustrations, Reading Women is a visual feast that traces the myriad portrayals of women as engaged, engrossed, stimulated, or even bored (!) by the act of reading. This study deserves attention due to its expansive range of chronology, subject, and medium. The earliest depiction is the tomb of Eleanor of Aquitaine (c.1204) and the most recent are two paintings (2001) by Harald Metzkes. Sandwiched between are paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs of sitters young and old. Although the material is exclusively female, the artists are not. Works by Simone Martini, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and van Gogh are skillfully discussed, as are depictions by Julia Margaret Cameron, Gwen John, Suzanne Valadon, and others. The introduction is approachable and suggestive of the book's larger organizational structure taken up in seven themed sections. However, the individual entries on each work require some familiarity with stylistic analysis, making Bollman's book a good addition for both the interested reader and student alike. Although each image is carefully identified, there is no bibliography or list of sources for further inquiry. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; lower- and upper-division undergraduates. J. Decker Georgetown College From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.