An Alternative History of Print: Women Printers in Europe and America

A Special Presentation by 

Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts 

Women have been printing alongside men since the invention of the printing press, but their stories have been comparatively neglected in narratives that focus on Gutenberg, Caxton, and Franklin. This presentation will look at books printed by women from the 15th through the 20th centuries: each volume tells a story of its era, while each of the women who created it likewise illustrates the state of the trades during her time period. By examining the material conditions of the book’s creation as well as the social history of how that book came to be, we can recover alternate histories of economic, technological, and literary production.