Artemisia of Caria

by Shirin Yim Bridges

Published 1 October 2010
Thousands of years ago, in the world of the Ancient Greeks where women were expected to obey their husbands in all matters, to play no part in public life, and to stay inside the house, a princess grew up to be not only a sailor and a ship's captain, but a famous admiral. Her name was Artemisia, and among all the commanders fighting on the Persian side during the great Persian Wars, she alone dared to give Xerxes an honest opinion that could have saved his entire fleet. This is the story of a real and remarkable princess whose spirit prompted the Persian Great King, Xerxes, to declare, "My men have become women, and my women men!"

In what could be a tale from the Arabian Nights, a girl grows up in thirteenth century Persia to be so desirable that she is kidnapped several times for her beauty. She finds refuge at last in the arms of a prince, who marries her and makes her a princess. With him she rules a nation and is so wise that, on his death, the people ask her to continue as their sovereign. But at the end of her long reign, she is remembered above all for her kindness and compassion. This book brings to life the story of Qutlugh Terkan Khatun, a real and remarkable princess who brought her people a golden age of peace and prosperity. Richly illustrated and narrated with humor, The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses brings to life the stories of real and remarkable princesses who managed to do what few thought possible.

Isabella of Castile

by Shirin Yim Bridges

Published 1 October 2010
In a twist on the classic fairy tale, a princess in fifteenth century Spain refused to wait to be rescued by a prince but instead chose one for herself. Even then, she would not marry him until they'd reached an agreement that was revolutionary for her time--their marriage would be an equal partnership captured in the motto: To stand as high, as high to stand, Isabella and Ferdinand. This book tells the real and remarkable story of the princess, Isabella of Castile. The partnership that she made with her prince was a happy and successful one. Without her, both Spain and America would not exist as we know them. Richly illustrated and narrated with humor, The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses brings to life the stories of real and remarkable princesses who managed to do what few thought possible.

Nur Jahan of India

by Shirin Yim Bridges

Published 1 October 2010
From the deepest heart of the Moghul palace, tucked away in purdah, her face hidden by veils, one princess came to rule all of Moghul India. She introduced efficiencies, encouraged trade, and made possible a great flowering of the arts. What gave her this power was love. This is a love story, the story of Nur Jahan, who, without breaking any of the rules, hunted tigers, rode elephants to war, commanded a nation from behind a curtain, and did many other things that girls were not expected to do. Richly illustrated and narrated with humor, The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses brings to life the stories of real and remarkable princesses who managed to do what few thought possible.

On the wind-swept steppes of Mongolia in the thirteenth century, a princess was given the chance to rule. She took lands that had been ruined by war and made them wealthy again, brought mutual respect and cooperation to a downtrodden and distrustful people, and in a battle of wits that was like a giant chess game, won for her sons the imperial throne. This is the story of Sorghaghtani, a real and remarkable princess who handed her sons the largest empire in the world. Richly illustrated and narrated with humor, The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses brings to life the stories of real and remarkable princesses who managed to do what few thought possible.

Hatshepsut of Egypt

by Shirin Yim Bridges

Published 1 October 2010
Combining the romance and enchantment of princesses with a message of youthful female empowerment, these books are about girls who didn't just sit around waiting to be rescued. Against great odds, they changed their own lives--and their worlds. Stories of princesses from different cultures and different epochs in history are richly illustrated with photographs, maps, and lovely pen-and-watercolor paintings that help bring these fascinating females to life. Bringing to life the story of a woman who boldly declared herself pharaoh, this book tells of Hatshepsut, who lived in ancient Egypt. When explorers first chipped a hole through a wall and shined a light into Tutankhamun's tomb, everything it touched glinted with gold and gleamed with silver. The boy-king so surrounded by this treasure would become one of the most famous names in history. But the less-famous princess Hatshepsut had accumulated much of the wealth that was buried in the tomb. Answering such questions as How did she make Egypt so rich? and How did she come to be buried, like Tutankhamun, in the Valley of the Kings? , this book also has sections on the clothes Hatshepsut wore, the foods she ate, and why she is remembered today.