Uppity Women of the Renaissance By Vicki Leon


Apr 7, 2011

This clever little books introduces us to the ultimate "renaissance women", of a era typically associate with famous men.  The book cover famous women who were forgotten with time.  Among the characters covered is the wife of William Shakespeare, Lucrezia Borgia, Ann Boleyn, the wife of Martin Luther, the pen pall of Galileo Galilei as well as his daughter, the wife of the real Hungarian Dracula, the wife of Albrecht Durer and the wife of Oliver Cromwell. Their stories describe first learned women, the first women book publishers, women trying to enter all men’s guilds as apprentices, women of royal courts, noble women, nuns, women playwrights, scientists, alchemists and astrologers, female versions of Nostradamus, first poets and politicians and first international traders. Some of them are more known then others, most of them are unknown to non historians, nevertheless all of them are interesting historical characters of Europe in 1500s and 1600s. Each women’s biography takes only one page of this small 7 by 7 inch book of 295 page book.  Each story is accompanied by period print illustrations.  

 

Reviewed by Library Staff