Superwomen by Albert Payson Terhune

Though his first claim to fame as a writer came as a chronicler of the adventures of his beloved collie Lad, author Albert Payson Terhune takes a decidedly different tack in the historical sketches collected in Superwomen. This fascinating volume brings together a series of engaging and well-researched biographical essays about women like Helen of Troy and Cleopatra who played by their own rules--and sometimes changed history in the process.