Women and the book

the long version

In this wide-ranging collection of essays, the authors address some key questions in the relationship between women and books in the middle ages. How were women portrayed in medieval books? What books by medieval women survive? What kind of books did medieval women read? Concentrating on the pictorial evidence, the fourteen papers collected here raise many complex and varied themes related to women's creation, use and patronage of books, and the representation of women in them. Well illustrated from manuscript sources throughout, the volume makes a significant contribution to research in the field and will be stimulating reading for scholars and students of art history, medieval literature, medieval history and women's studies.