For a long time, women who read were considered dangerous, as reading allowed them to acquire knowledge that was not meant for them, exchanging the narrow world of home, child-rearing, and housework for the limitless realm of thoughts and imagination. However, while it took centuries for women to be allowed to read what they wanted, artists have always been fascinated by them. Women holding a book and deeply engrossed in reading appear in masterful and world-renowned works from all eras. Stefan Bollmann sensitively and engagingly guides us through the history of female reading and explains why great painters like Corinth, Boucher, Rembrandt, Tissot, van Gogh, Vermeer, and many others could not resist depicting women who read.