A History of Women in 101 Objects

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023: POLITICS

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.

Reviews of A History of Women in 101 Objects

"An ambitious project, wide in scope, idiosyncratic in approach . . . The power of this book is cumulative; read as a whole it becomes increasingly affecting. At its heart it is about female pain, female bravery and female creativity" ― Sunday Times

"Hirsch provides a rich, subversive take on history . . . The scope and delicious imaginative leaps of Hirsch's work, translated from German by Eleanor Updegraff, start to work their magic. I guarantee many readers will be exposed to something new" ― Financial Times

"Whimsical, fun and witty. Annabelle Hirsch's book is a like a treasure hunt through history, culture, politics, fashion and art" — ANDREA WULF

"A reminder, lest we forget, that women are and have always been, whether quietly or vociferously, on the periphery or centre stage, the engine, the glue, the inspiration behind it all" — GILLIAN ANDERSON

"I adored this book! Hirsch's intimate observational gifts turn that world into a rousing, living record of all that we have wrestled with" — OLIVIA COLMAN

"A fantastic cabinet of curiosities that rethinks the role of women in history. Educational, funny – a joy!" — LEILA SLIMANI

"I love this book . . . A new feminist history of the world . . . Stirring, provocative and carefully researched" — LAUREN ELKIN

"An intimate, inspiring and unexpected look at the overlooked lives of women. Far from being weighed down with academic heft, this is the literary equivalent of spending a happy afternoon rooting through your grandma's handbag. A treasure trove of ideas, artefacts and stories" — SAM BAKER

"An excellent reminder that women have always been there. They may be written out of texts, but the objects they leave behind reveal them in all their complexity. Women that fought, women that worked, women that wielded power and carried agency. Through these 101 objects you can touch the hands of ancestors and understand the worlds they inhabited" — DR JANINA RAMIREZ

"I loved every chapter of this compelling, enlightening and inspiring book. Annabelle Hirsch writes with such warmth, humour and generosity. This book illuminates our past so we can envision a bolder and brighter present" — SALENA GODDEN

"From cave painting to the newest frontiers of technology, women have made so many aspects of the world we live in whilst also witnessing their presence in the halls of history being cast into shadow or erased. Annabelle Hirsch grabs back the spotlight and through an astonishing, eclectic array of objects she places women's achievements centre stage. Splendid and inspiring" — JUDE KELLY

"The domestic nature of many objects may seem of minor consequence, but Hirsch channels a steely perceptiveness and not a little subversive humour in revealing their quiet power and enduring significance. Eleanor Updegraff captures the sparky wit of Hirsch's prose with a jaunty elegance. It's a book with a large personality which is as enjoyable to dip into as it is to read from cover to cover" — CAROLINE SANDERSON ― Bookseller

"The book creates new stories . . . Where women throughout time have always been multifaceted, multi-talented and powerful. Reading about it, I feel it deep in my robust bones" ― Sunday Star-Times