Right Here I See My Own Books

On May 1, 1893, the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago opened its gates to an expectant public eager to experience firsthand its architectural beauty, technological marvels, and vast array of cultural treasures gathered from all over the world. Among the most popular of the fairs attractions was the Womans Building, a monumental exhibit hall filled with the products of womens labourincluding more than 8,000 volumes of writing by women. Right Here I See My Own Books examines the progress, content, and significance of this historic first effort to assemble a comprehensive library of womens texts. By weaving together the behind-the-scenes story of the librarys formation and the stories between the covers of books on display, Wadsworth and Wiegand firmly situate the Womans Building Library within the historical context of the 1890s. Interdisciplinary in approach, their book demonstrates how this landmark collection helped consolidate and institutionalize womens writing in conjunction with the burgeoning womens movement and the professionalization of librarianship in late nineteenth-century America. Americans in this period debated a wide range of topics, including womens rights, gender identity, racial politics, nationalism, regionalism, imperialism, and modernity. These debates permeated the cultural climate of the Columbian Exposition. Wadsworth and Wiegands book illuminates the range and complexity of American womens responses to these issues within a public sphere to which the Womans Building provided unprecedented access.