Women's contributions to, and Influence on, the History of the Book throughout the communications circuit
Like so much of our history, the history of the book has been dominated by male figures from printers and booksellers, editors and publication owners, authors and illustrators, and readers and collectors. However, while often in the shadows of our history and their male counterparts, women have been "at every node of the cycle and at all periods in history, from the printers' widows operating independently of the craft guilds of early modern Europe to the avid readership of romance novels" (Travis, 2008, pp. 1). Through their involvement women have not only been vital to the transmission of information of cultural, artistic, religious, scientific, and literary importance, but have even at times been responsible for advancing aspects of book history or shaping its evolution.
This exhibit aims to highlight these women through significant, representative female authors and writers since the advent of the printing press and the influence female readership has had on the entire communications circuit.
This exhibit aims to highlight these women through significant, representative female authors and writers since the advent of the printing press and the influence female readership has had on the entire communications circuit.