The Treasure of the City of Ladies (Penguin Classics)

Advice and guidance for women of all ages, from Europe's first professional woman writer

Written by Europe’s first professional woman writer, The Treasure of the City of Ladies offers advice and guidance to women of all ages and from all levels of medieval society, from royal courtiers to prostitutes. It paints an intricate picture of daily life in the courts and streets of fifteenth-century France and gives a fascinating glimpse into the practical considerations of running a household, dressing appropriately and maintaining a reputation in all circumstances. Christine de Pizan’s book provides a valuable counterbalance to male accounts of life in the middle ages and demonstrates, often with dry humour, how a woman’s position in society could be made less precarious by following the correct etiquette.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

• The Book of the City of Ladies (Penguin Classics)
• The Book of the Courtier (Penguin Classics)
• The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin Classics)
• The Prince (Hackett Classics)
• The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics)
• The Memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln
• The Canterbury Tales
• Dressing the Elite: Clothes in Early Modern England
• The Rule of Saint Benedict
• A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies