Why the Name Lot’s Wife?

In 1995 an opportunity arose for three women who were historians and who had worked closely professionally in museums to undertake a research, writing, and publishing project. The three had wondered if it was possible to pursue a career path in history outside the traditional classroom or museum work.
In undertaking to produce the 250th anniversary history of an important Virginia church from the colonial era, the trio needed to find a name for their fledgling venture. As they mulled over ideas, one of the three suggested “Lot’s Wife Publishing.” Why?
Readers familiar with the Old Testament story will recall that God told a man named Lot to take his family and flee the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and never look back. Sadly, his wife could not resist the urge to look back, did so, and was turned into a pillar of salt. In spite of her unfortunate end, we thought the compulsion for Lot’s unnamed wife to look back made her the first recorded example of a female historian.
As female historians who spend our lives looking back, this image appealed to us and seemed to offer a catchy name for our company while calling to mind the generations of women who, like Lot’s wife, have remained nameless parts of the human story.