A History of Women in 101 Objects A walk through female history

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023

This is a neglected history. Not a sweeping, definitive, exhaustive history of the world but something quieter, more intimate and particular. A single journey, picked out in 101 objects, through the fascinating, too-often-overlooked, manifold histories of women.

Open up this cabinet of curiosities and you’ll find objects that have been highly esteemed – even, like the Bayeux tapestry, fought over by nations – and others that are humble and domestic. Some (like a sixteenth century glass dildo) are objects of female pleasure, some (a thumbscrew) of female subjugation. There are artefacts of women celebrated by history and of women unfairly forgotten by it; examples of female rebellion and of self-revelation; objects that are inspiring, curious or (like radium-laced chocolate) just fundamentally ill-conceived.

Through the variety and nuance in all these 101 objects, Annabelle Hirsch has created a new history – teeming, unexpected, witty and always illuminating. This overdue corrective reveals what a healed femur says about civilisation, what men have to fear from hat pins, and it shows that the past has always been as complicated and fascinating as the women that peopled it.

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023

This is a neglected history. Not a sweeping, definitive, exhaustive history of the world but something quieter, more intimate and particular. A journey, picked out in 101 objects, through the fascinating, too-often-overlooked, manifold histories of women.

Open up this cabinet of curiosities and you’ll find objects that have been highly esteemed and others that are humble and domestic. Some (like a sixteenth century glass dildo) are objects of female pleasure, some (a thumbscrew) of female subjugation. There are artefacts of women celebrated by history and of women unfairly forgotten by it; examples of female rebellion and of self-revelation; objects that are inspiring, curious or (like radium-laced chocolate) just fundamentally ill-conceived. In this compendium, Annabelle Hirsch reveals a new history – teeming, unexpected, witty and always illuminating.

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023

This is a neglected history. Not a sweeping, definitive, exhaustive history of the world but something quieter, more intimate and particular. A journey, picked out in 101 objects, through the fascinating, too-often-overlooked, manifold histories of women.

Open up this cabinet of curiosities and you’ll find objects that have been highly esteemed and others that are humble and domestic. Some (like a sixteenth century glass dildo) are objects of female pleasure, some (a thumbscrew) of female subjugation. There are artefacts of women celebrated by history and of women unfairly forgotten by it; examples of female rebellion and of self-revelation; objects that are inspiring, curious or (like radium-laced chocolate) just fundamentally ill-conceived. In this compendium, Annabelle Hirsch reveals a new history – teeming, unexpected, witty and always illuminating.

AN AUDIBLE ‘BEST OF THE YEAR’ SELECTION

This is a neglected history. No attempt at a sweeping, definitive, exhaustive history of the world but something quieter, more intimate and particular, told by Annabelle Hirsch through her selection of 101 objects, and now brought thrillingly alive for you by a chorus of 101 remarkable women in this ground-breaking audio release.

Open up this cabinet of curiosities and you’ll discover objects that have been highly esteemed and others that are humble and domestic. Some (like a sixteenth-century glass dildo, as read by Miriam Margolyes) are objects of female pleasure, some (a thumbscrew, as read by Val McDermid) of female subjugation. There are artefacts of women celebrated by history (The Brontë Sisters’ miniature books, as read by Rebecca Hall) and of women unfairly forgotten by it (a dish with the likeness of Roxelana, as read by Elif Shafak); examples of female rebellion (a bunch of hair, as read by Shirin Neshat) and of self-revelation (an unusual portrait, as read by Daisy Ridley); objects that are inspiring (Aretha Franklin’s song ‘Respect’, as read by Cynthia Erivo), curious (George Sand’s right arm, as read by Jeanette Winterson) or just fundamentally ill-conceived (like radium-laced chocolate, as read by Meera Syal).

This highly acclaimed and very overdue corrective reveals what a healed femur (Gillian Anderson) says about civilisation, what men have to fear from hat pins (Helena Bonham Carter), and it shows that the past has always been as complicated and fascinating as the women that peopled it.

Refuge, is a registered charity in the UK with charity nos. 277424. 25% percent of the proceeds* received by Canongate Books from this audiobook will be made available to the charity for their work empowering women and children experiencing domestic violence. This donation has been made possible by Canongate Books, Annabelle Hirsch, Eleanor Updegraff and Kein und Aber.

*Proceeds means the cash-price or cash-equivalent price less sales taxes.

The readers, in order of appearance:

Helena Gonda, Annabelle Hirsch, Gillian Anderson, Katy Hessel, Anita Rani, Jackie Kay, Len Pennie, Shirley Manson, Rebecca Solnit, Sandi Toksvig, Marina Hyde, Naomi Shimada, Harriet Walter, Celia Imrie, Kate Manne, Margaret Atwood, Janina Ramirez, Doon Mackichan, Helen Mirren, Elif Shafak, Kathryn Hunter, Kate Mosse, Miriam Margolyes, Val McDermid, Caitlin Moran, Dolly Alderton, Georgia Byng, Olivia Colman, Sasha Lane, Adjoa Andoh, Elizabeth Acevedo, Sue Perkins, Ece Temelkuran, Mary Ann Sieghart, Alison Steadman, Daisy Ridley, Rebecca Hall, Krista Tippett, Patience Agbabi, Michelle Newell, Jeanette Winterson, Geraldine James, Sinead Cusack, Tiya Miles, Crystal Clarke, Louise Brealey, Leïla Slimani, Helena Kennedy, Samin Nosrat, Anna Holmes, Michelle Gomez, India Knight, Natascha McElhone, Lauren Elkin, Kate Winslet, Helena Bonham Carter, Sylvia Whitman, Noma Dumezweni, Meera Syal, Niamh McGrady, Denise Gough, Jacqueline Wilson, Siri Hustvedt, Gaby Wood, Sophie Hunter, Lisa-Kaindé Diaz, Annabel Mullion, Sharleen Spiteri, Jennifer Clement, Julia Gillard, Christiane Amanpour, Jude Kelly, Kerry Fox, Ruth Rogers, Maggie Smith, Hanna Schygulla, Kübra Gümüsay, Erica Wagner, Sandra Hüller, Jodie Whittaker, Virginie Efira, Nicola Sturgeon, Juno Dawson, Juliet Stevenson, Sally Phillips, Anjelica Huston, Lisa Dwan, Ruth Ozeki, Joanna Lumley, Cynthia Erivo, Martha Wainwright, Eleanor Updegraff, Sinéad Gleeson, Salena Godden, Lili Taylor, Mariella Frostrup, Rakie Ayola, Katie Kitamura, Saffron Hocking, Tahmima Anam, Vivian Oparah, Shirin Neshat.