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.

• The first book devoted to the history of reading women in art, from the Middle Ages to the present

• Beautiful illustrations accompanied by entertaining commentaries and a foreword by award-winning author Karen Joy Fowler

• Features the work of a diverse range of artists, from Vermeer, Manet and Whistler to Edward Hopper and photographer Eve Arnold

• An ideal gift for all book lovers and anyone interested in the depiction of women in art