Bev Nicols, known as Cindy Ray, is regarded as a pioneer for female tattoo artists. Her three comb-bound books, The Story of A Tattooed Girl, How to do Good Tattooing and Ear Rings, Ear Piercing, all from the 1960s, are priced at £3000 by Peter Harrington in the catalogue In Her Own Words: Works by Exceptional Women.
Victoria Lucas’ was the pseudonym under which Sylvia Plath published The Bell Jar. The plot is semi-autobiographical, and Plath did not want to upset her mother Aurelia or other people who appeared in the book. Bonhams sold Plath’s own copy, inscribed three weeks prior to the official release and less than two months before she committed suicide, for £70,000.
In the last 12 months, books by women have become talk of the rare bookselling world. Myriad booksellers have turned their attention to women’s contributions to literature, history, science, travel, politics, and beyond. It is not a moment too soon.