Some Famous Women

What it is

This is a book titled Some Famous Women by Louise Creighton, a British author and women's rights activist who lived from 1850 to 1936. Her husband was the Anglican bishop of London. The book gives chapters on women such as Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria, as well as St. Hilda and Elizabeth Fry. The audio is a LibriVox volunteer reading of the text, recorded recently, not a recording of Creighton or of Joan.

Why it matters

The book shows how a British writer of the early 20th century chose which women to present as models for readers. Creighton also wrote histories of England and France for students, which places this book within her wider work on teaching history.

Look closer

• Why might an author choose to write about women such as Florence Nightingale alongside a medieval figure like Joan of Arc?
• What does the author's list of other books suggest about the audience she was writing for?
• What questions would you ask about the sources she used for her chapter on Joan?