
Women in the Valley of the Kings
The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $17.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Elizabeth Wiley
About this listen
The history of Egyptology is often told as yet one more grand narrative of powerful men striving to seize the day and the precious artifacts for their competing homelands. But that is only half of the story. During the Golden Age of Exploration, there were women working and exploring before Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tut. Before men even conceived of claiming the story for themselves, women were working in Egypt to lay the groundwork for all future exploration.
In Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age, Kathleen Sheppard brings the untold stories of these women back into this narrative. Sheppard begins with the earliest European women who ventured to Egypt as travelers: Amelia Edwards, Jenny Lane, and Marianne Brocklehurst. Their travelogues, diaries, and maps chronicled a new world for the curious. In the vast desert, Maggie Benson, the first woman granted permission to excavate in Egypt, met Nettie Gourlay, the woman who became her lifelong companion. They battled issues of oppression and exclusion and, ultimately, are credited with excavating the Temple of Mut.
Women in the Valley of the Kings upends the grand male narrative of Egyptian exploration and shows how a group of courageous women charted unknown territory and changed the field of Egyptology forever.
©2024 Kathleen Sheppard (P)2024 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Elements of Marie Curie
- How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
- By: Dava Sobel
- Narrated by: Pat Rodrigues
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Even now, nearly a century after her death, Marie Curie remains the only female scientist most people can name,” writes Dava Sobel at the opening of her shining portrait of the sole Nobel laureate decorated in two separate fields of science—Physics in 1903 with her husband, Pierre, and Chemistry by herself in 1911. And yet, as brilliant and creative as she was in the laboratory, Marie Curie was equally memorable outside it.
-
-
Very interesting read about an incredible scientis
- By O. Espinoza on 04-28-25
By: Dava Sobel
-
The Good Kings
- Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World
- By: Kara Cooney
- Narrated by: Kara Cooney
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written in the tradition of historians like Stacy Schiff and Amanda Foreman who find modern lessons in ancient history, this provocative narrative explores the lives of five remarkable pharaohs who ruled Egypt with absolute power, shining a new light on the country's 3,000-year empire and its meaning today.
-
-
Ancient Egypt as Metaphor for the Trump Administration
- By Orlando R. Murgado on 12-09-21
By: Kara Cooney
-
The Bluestockings
- A History of the First Women's Movement
- By: Susannah Gibson
- Narrated by: Fenella Fudge
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In England in the 1700s, a woman who was an intellectual, spoke out, or wrote professionally was considered unnatural. After all, as the wisdom of the era dictated, a clever woman—if there were such a thing—would never make a good wife. But a circle of women called the Bluestockings did something extraordinary: Coming together in glittering salons to discuss and debate as intellectual equals with men, they fought for women to be educated and to have a public role in society. In this intimate and revelatory history, Susannah Gibson delves into the lives of these pioneering women.
-
-
fascinating book almost ruined by the reader
- By braingirl on 08-13-24
By: Susannah Gibson
-
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles
- By: Malka Older
- Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mossa has returned to Valdegeld on a missing persons case, for which she’ll once again need Pleiti’s insight. Seventeen students and staff members have disappeared from Valdegeld University—yet no one has noticed. The answers to this case may lie on the moon of Io—Mossa’s home—and the history of Jupiter’s original settlements during humanity’s exodus from Earth. But Pleiti’s faith in her life’s work as a scholar of the past has grown precarious, and this new case threatens to further destabilize her dreams for humanity’s future, as well as her own.
-
-
I love this series!
- By Jim Cira on 01-21-25
By: Malka Older
-
Egypt's Golden Couple
- When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth
- By: John Darnell, Colleen Darnell
- Narrated by: Siiri Scott
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two celebrated Egyptologists bring to vivid life the intriguing and controversial reign of King Tut’s parents. Combining fascinating scholarship, detective suspense, and adventurous thrills, Egypt’s Golden Couple is a journey through excavations, museums, hieroglyphic texts, and stunning artifacts. From clue to clue, renowned Egyptologists, John and Colleen Darnell, reconstruct an otherwise untold story of the magnificent reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.
-
-
Horrible narrator
- By Rebekah on 01-05-25
By: John Darnell, and others
-
A World Beneath the Sands
- The Golden Age of Egyptology
- By: Toby Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A World Beneath the Sands, acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson chronicles the ruthless race between the British, French, Germans, and Americans to lay claim to its mysteries and treasures. He tells riveting stories of the men and women whose obsession with Egypt’s ancient civilization helped to enrich and transform our understanding of the Nile Valley and its people and left a lasting impression on Egypt, too.
-
-
An entrancing listen, fascinating History
- By L. Ford Ballard, Jr. on 01-27-21
By: Toby Wilkinson
-
The Elements of Marie Curie
- How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
- By: Dava Sobel
- Narrated by: Pat Rodrigues
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Even now, nearly a century after her death, Marie Curie remains the only female scientist most people can name,” writes Dava Sobel at the opening of her shining portrait of the sole Nobel laureate decorated in two separate fields of science—Physics in 1903 with her husband, Pierre, and Chemistry by herself in 1911. And yet, as brilliant and creative as she was in the laboratory, Marie Curie was equally memorable outside it.
-
-
Very interesting read about an incredible scientis
- By O. Espinoza on 04-28-25
By: Dava Sobel
-
The Good Kings
- Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World
- By: Kara Cooney
- Narrated by: Kara Cooney
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written in the tradition of historians like Stacy Schiff and Amanda Foreman who find modern lessons in ancient history, this provocative narrative explores the lives of five remarkable pharaohs who ruled Egypt with absolute power, shining a new light on the country's 3,000-year empire and its meaning today.
-
-
Ancient Egypt as Metaphor for the Trump Administration
- By Orlando R. Murgado on 12-09-21
By: Kara Cooney
-
The Bluestockings
- A History of the First Women's Movement
- By: Susannah Gibson
- Narrated by: Fenella Fudge
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In England in the 1700s, a woman who was an intellectual, spoke out, or wrote professionally was considered unnatural. After all, as the wisdom of the era dictated, a clever woman—if there were such a thing—would never make a good wife. But a circle of women called the Bluestockings did something extraordinary: Coming together in glittering salons to discuss and debate as intellectual equals with men, they fought for women to be educated and to have a public role in society. In this intimate and revelatory history, Susannah Gibson delves into the lives of these pioneering women.
-
-
fascinating book almost ruined by the reader
- By braingirl on 08-13-24
By: Susannah Gibson
-
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles
- By: Malka Older
- Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mossa has returned to Valdegeld on a missing persons case, for which she’ll once again need Pleiti’s insight. Seventeen students and staff members have disappeared from Valdegeld University—yet no one has noticed. The answers to this case may lie on the moon of Io—Mossa’s home—and the history of Jupiter’s original settlements during humanity’s exodus from Earth. But Pleiti’s faith in her life’s work as a scholar of the past has grown precarious, and this new case threatens to further destabilize her dreams for humanity’s future, as well as her own.
-
-
I love this series!
- By Jim Cira on 01-21-25
By: Malka Older
-
Egypt's Golden Couple
- When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth
- By: John Darnell, Colleen Darnell
- Narrated by: Siiri Scott
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two celebrated Egyptologists bring to vivid life the intriguing and controversial reign of King Tut’s parents. Combining fascinating scholarship, detective suspense, and adventurous thrills, Egypt’s Golden Couple is a journey through excavations, museums, hieroglyphic texts, and stunning artifacts. From clue to clue, renowned Egyptologists, John and Colleen Darnell, reconstruct an otherwise untold story of the magnificent reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.
-
-
Horrible narrator
- By Rebekah on 01-05-25
By: John Darnell, and others
-
A World Beneath the Sands
- The Golden Age of Egyptology
- By: Toby Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A World Beneath the Sands, acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson chronicles the ruthless race between the British, French, Germans, and Americans to lay claim to its mysteries and treasures. He tells riveting stories of the men and women whose obsession with Egypt’s ancient civilization helped to enrich and transform our understanding of the Nile Valley and its people and left a lasting impression on Egypt, too.
-
-
An entrancing listen, fascinating History
- By L. Ford Ballard, Jr. on 01-27-21
By: Toby Wilkinson
-
The Secret War of Julia Child
- A Novel
- By: Diana R. Chambers
- Narrated by: Candace Joice
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in Asia during World War II. Single, six foot two, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a job working for America's first espionage agency, years before cooking or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child traces Julia's transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General "Wild Bill" Donovan's secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services.
-
-
Julia Child, more amazing than ever
- By DQmaine on 11-14-24
-
The Bog Wife
- A Novel
- By: Kay Chronister
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since time immemorial, the Haddesley family has tended the cranberry bog. In exchange, the bog sustains them. The staunch seasons of their lives are governed by a strict covenant that is renewed each generation with the ritual sacrifice of their patriarch, and in return, the bog produces a “bog-wife.” Brought to life from vegetation, this woman is meant to carry on the family line. But when the bog fails—or refuses—to honor the bargain, the Haddesleys, a group of discordant siblings still grieving the mother who mysteriously disappeared years earlier, face an unknown future.
-
-
Excellent writing that backs out of its own ending
- By Corinne on 03-22-25
By: Kay Chronister
-
Blood
- The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation
- By: Dr. Jen Gunter
- Narrated by: Jen Gunter
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most women can expect to have hundreds of periods in a lifetime. And yet few are given the tools to understand the science of their own cycle, how it changes over their lifetime, and how it connects to their overall health. In this practical, inclusive guide to menstruation, Dr. Jen Gunter delivers empowerment through knowledge. She explains what's typical, what's concerning, and when to seek care, while also examining the historical and social myths which keep women uninformed and disenfranchised.
-
-
To the point and informative
- By Shannon Wallis on 04-03-25
By: Dr. Jen Gunter
-
Nat Turner, Black Prophet
- A Visionary History
- By: Anthony E. Kaye, Gregory P. Downs - contributor
- Narrated by: Leon Nixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In August 1831, a group of enslaved people in Southampton County, Virginia, rose up to fight for their freedom. They attacked the plantations on which their enslavers lived and attempted to march on the county seat of Jerusalem, from which they planned to launch an uprising across the South. After the rebellion was suppressed, well over a hundred people, Black and white, lay dead or were hanged. As news of the revolt spread, it became apparent that it was the idea of a single man: Nat Turner.
-
-
Nat Turner The Black Prophet
- By Monty on 08-31-24
By: Anthony E. Kaye, and others
-
Three Stones Make a Wall
- The Story of Archaeology
- By: Eric H. Cline
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1922, Howard Carter peered into Tutankhamun's tomb for the first time, the only light coming from the candle in his outstretched hand. Urged to tell what he was seeing through the small opening he had cut in the door to the tomb, the Egyptologist famously replied, "I see wonderful things". Carter's fabulous discovery is just one of the many spellbinding stories told in Three Stones Make a Wall.
-
-
Solid, but still disappointed
- By Sturgie on 04-10-18
By: Eric H. Cline
-
Byzantium
- The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire
- By: Judith Herrin
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Byzantium. The name evokes grandeur and exoticism—gold, cunning, and complexity. In this unique book, Judith Herrin unveils the riches of a quite different civilization. Avoiding a standard chronological account of the Byzantine Empire's millennium-long history, she identifies the fundamental questions about Byzantium—what it was, and what special significance it holds for us today.
-
-
Not a comprehensible history
- By kevin arsenault on 10-07-23
By: Judith Herrin
-
Adventures in the Louvre
- How to Fall in Love with the World's Greatest Museum
- By: Elaine Sciolino
- Narrated by: Lynn Bradford
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Louvre is the most famous museum in the world, attracting millions of visitors every year with its masterpieces. In Adventures in the Louvre, Elaine Sciolino immerses herself in this magical space and helps us fall in love with what was once a forbidding fortress. Exploring galleries, basements, rooftops, and gardens, Sciolino demystifies the Louvre, introducing us to her favorite artworks, both legendary and overlooked, and to the people who are the museum's lifeblood.
-
-
Easy Recommendation for Travelers to Paris
- By Jim Kane on 04-27-25
By: Elaine Sciolino
-
The Bookshop
- A History of the American Bookstore
- By: Evan Friss
- Narrated by: Jay Myers
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see the stakes: what has been, and what might be lost. Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many.
-
-
Fun if you like book stuff
- By Customer - Reader on 02-22-25
By: Evan Friss
-
Taking Manhattan
- The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
- By: Russell Shorto
- Narrated by: Russell Shorto
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1664, England decided to invade the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York, had dreams of empire, and their archrivals, the Dutch, were in the way. But Richard Nicolls, the military officer who led the English flotilla bent on destruction, changed his strategy once he encountered Peter Stuyvesant, New Netherland’s canny director general.
-
-
I really appreciated how the author continually related the past to what we see today.
- By Jaelyn Dean on 05-22-25
By: Russell Shorto
-
Ramesses the Great
- Egypt's King of Kings
- By: Toby Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Robbie Stevens
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ramesses II ruled the Nile Valley and the wider Egyptian empire from 1279 to 1213 B.C., one of the longest reigns in pharaonic history. He was a cultural innovator, a relentless self-promoter, and an astute diplomat—the peace treaty signed after the Battle of Kadesh was the first in recorded history. He outbuilt every other Egyptian pharaoh, leaving behind the temples of Abu Simbel; the great hypostyle hall of Karnak; the tomb for his wife Nefertari; and his own memorial, the Ramesseum.
-
-
Great stuff. Minimal notes.
- By Raymond Smith on 05-18-23
By: Toby Wilkinson
-
Digging Up Armageddon
- The Search for the Lost City of Solomon
- By: Eric H. Cline
- Narrated by: Eric H. Cline
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1925, James Henry Breasted sent a team of archaeologists to the Holy Land to excavate the ancient site of Megiddo - Armageddon in the New Testament. Their excavations made headlines around the world and shed light on one of the most legendary cities of biblical times. Digging Up Armageddon brings to life one of the most important archaeological expeditions ever undertaken, describing the site and what was found there, and providing an up-close look at the internal workings of a dig in the early years of biblical archaeology.
-
-
not enough digging, too much gossip
- By Melanie S. Kline on 07-25-20
By: Eric H. Cline
-
Laughter in Ancient Rome
- On Joking, Tickling, and Cracking Up
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival, filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? Or was it a carefully regulated culture in which the uncontrollable excess of laughter was a force to fear-a world of wit, irony, and knowing smiles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts, the imperial palace, or the spectacles of the arena?
-
-
Laugh along with the Romans
- By JRuth Dempsey on 04-26-25
By: Mary Beard
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Mountains of the Pharaohs
- The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders
- By: Zahi Hawass
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The great pyramids of Giza have intrigued humanity for thousands of years. Questions about the construction and the purpose of these majestic monuments have existed since the middle period of ancient Egyptian civilization; in the sixth century B.C., Herodotus was the first of generations of explorers to travel to Egypt in an attempt to unlock their secrets. Recent cutting-edge research has uncovered information, unimaginable to previous generations, about how and why they were built.
-
-
Snoring
- By R. Flaherty on 07-26-07
By: Zahi Hawass
-
The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective
- By: Sara Lodge
- Narrated by: Christine Rendel
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Wilkie Collins to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the traditional image of the Victorian detective is male. Few people realize that women detectives successfully investigated Victorian Britain, working both with the police and for private agencies, which they sometimes managed themselves. Sara Lodge recovers these forgotten women’s lives. She also reveals the sensational role played by the fantasy female detective in Victorian melodrama and popular fiction, enthralling a public who relished the spectacle of a cross-dressing, fist-swinging heroine.
-
-
Overlong but still fascinating
- By David LM McIntyre on 06-12-25
By: Sara Lodge
-
Clementine
- The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill
- By: Sonia Purnell
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By Winston Churchill's own admission, victory in the Second World War would have been "impossible without her". Until now, however, the only existing biography of Churchill's wife, Clementine, was written by her daughter. Sonia Purnell finally gives Clementine her due with a deeply researched account that tells her life story, revealing how she was instrumental in softening FDR's initial dislike of her husband and paving the way for Britain's close relationship with America.
-
-
Exasperating At Times But Very Good--
- By Gillian on 04-09-18
By: Sonia Purnell
-
Empress of the Nile
- The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction
- By: Lynne Olson
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 1960s, the world’s attention was focused on a nail-biting race against time: the international campaign to save a dozen ancient Egyptian temples from drowning in the floodwaters of the gigantic new Aswan High Dam. But the coverage of this unprecedented rescue effort completely overlooked the daring French archaeologist who made it all happen. Without the intervention of Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, the temples—including the Temple of Dendur, now at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—would currently be at the bottom of a vast reservoir.
-
-
Interesting but annoying
- By evan k pinto on 03-27-24
By: Lynne Olson
-
Come Fly the World
- The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am
- By: Julia Cooke
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Glamour, danger, liberation: in a Mad Men–era of commercial flight, Pan Am World Airways attracted the kind of young woman who wanted out, and wanted up. Required to have a college education, speak two languages, and possess the political savvy of a Foreign Service officer, a jet-age stewardess serving on iconic Pan Am between 1966 and 1975 also had to be between 5′3" and 5′9", between 105 and 140 pounds, and under 26 years of age at the time of hire.
-
-
Come see the world!
- By Jessica Cancino on 03-20-21
By: Julia Cooke
-
The Elements of Marie Curie
- How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
- By: Dava Sobel
- Narrated by: Pat Rodrigues
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Even now, nearly a century after her death, Marie Curie remains the only female scientist most people can name,” writes Dava Sobel at the opening of her shining portrait of the sole Nobel laureate decorated in two separate fields of science—Physics in 1903 with her husband, Pierre, and Chemistry by herself in 1911. And yet, as brilliant and creative as she was in the laboratory, Marie Curie was equally memorable outside it.
-
-
Very interesting read about an incredible scientis
- By O. Espinoza on 04-28-25
By: Dava Sobel
-
Mountains of the Pharaohs
- The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders
- By: Zahi Hawass
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The great pyramids of Giza have intrigued humanity for thousands of years. Questions about the construction and the purpose of these majestic monuments have existed since the middle period of ancient Egyptian civilization; in the sixth century B.C., Herodotus was the first of generations of explorers to travel to Egypt in an attempt to unlock their secrets. Recent cutting-edge research has uncovered information, unimaginable to previous generations, about how and why they were built.
-
-
Snoring
- By R. Flaherty on 07-26-07
By: Zahi Hawass
-
The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective
- By: Sara Lodge
- Narrated by: Christine Rendel
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Wilkie Collins to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the traditional image of the Victorian detective is male. Few people realize that women detectives successfully investigated Victorian Britain, working both with the police and for private agencies, which they sometimes managed themselves. Sara Lodge recovers these forgotten women’s lives. She also reveals the sensational role played by the fantasy female detective in Victorian melodrama and popular fiction, enthralling a public who relished the spectacle of a cross-dressing, fist-swinging heroine.
-
-
Overlong but still fascinating
- By David LM McIntyre on 06-12-25
By: Sara Lodge
-
Clementine
- The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill
- By: Sonia Purnell
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By Winston Churchill's own admission, victory in the Second World War would have been "impossible without her". Until now, however, the only existing biography of Churchill's wife, Clementine, was written by her daughter. Sonia Purnell finally gives Clementine her due with a deeply researched account that tells her life story, revealing how she was instrumental in softening FDR's initial dislike of her husband and paving the way for Britain's close relationship with America.
-
-
Exasperating At Times But Very Good--
- By Gillian on 04-09-18
By: Sonia Purnell
-
Empress of the Nile
- The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction
- By: Lynne Olson
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 1960s, the world’s attention was focused on a nail-biting race against time: the international campaign to save a dozen ancient Egyptian temples from drowning in the floodwaters of the gigantic new Aswan High Dam. But the coverage of this unprecedented rescue effort completely overlooked the daring French archaeologist who made it all happen. Without the intervention of Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, the temples—including the Temple of Dendur, now at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—would currently be at the bottom of a vast reservoir.
-
-
Interesting but annoying
- By evan k pinto on 03-27-24
By: Lynne Olson
-
Come Fly the World
- The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am
- By: Julia Cooke
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Glamour, danger, liberation: in a Mad Men–era of commercial flight, Pan Am World Airways attracted the kind of young woman who wanted out, and wanted up. Required to have a college education, speak two languages, and possess the political savvy of a Foreign Service officer, a jet-age stewardess serving on iconic Pan Am between 1966 and 1975 also had to be between 5′3" and 5′9", between 105 and 140 pounds, and under 26 years of age at the time of hire.
-
-
Come see the world!
- By Jessica Cancino on 03-20-21
By: Julia Cooke
-
The Elements of Marie Curie
- How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
- By: Dava Sobel
- Narrated by: Pat Rodrigues
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Even now, nearly a century after her death, Marie Curie remains the only female scientist most people can name,” writes Dava Sobel at the opening of her shining portrait of the sole Nobel laureate decorated in two separate fields of science—Physics in 1903 with her husband, Pierre, and Chemistry by herself in 1911. And yet, as brilliant and creative as she was in the laboratory, Marie Curie was equally memorable outside it.
-
-
Very interesting read about an incredible scientis
- By O. Espinoza on 04-28-25
By: Dava Sobel
The women
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Underrated Legends
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In Women in the Valley of the Kings, Sheppard tells the untold story of eleven women who changed the landscape of Egyptology in different ways. This book covers the life and careers of Amelia Edwards, Marianne Brocklehurst, Maggie Benson, Nettie Gourley, Emma Andrews, Margaret Alice Murray, Kate Griffith, Emily Paterson, Myrtle Broome, Amice Calverley, and Caroline Ransom Williams. These women challenged expectations of the time and went on to make great strides in Egyptology for women and in uncovering history. Also quite a few of these women were queer, which was a great surprise when reading this book.
I could talk about these remarkable women for a while, but I won’t. I am just going to highlight their lives and what they accomplished. Amelia Edwards was a novelist and Egyptologist who wrote the bestseller book, A Thousand Miles Up the Nile. She co-created the Egypt Exploration Fund (now called the Egypt Exploration Society) and left her vast collection and funds to the University College London to create an Egyptology department. This woman kickstarted everything for future women in this career, including the rest of the women in the book.
Marianne Brocklehurst and her partner Mary Booth were collectors and funded many excavations in Egypt and contributed to the Egypt Exploration Fund. Before her death she funded the West Park museum and donated her Egyptian collection for display and education. Marianne may not have been an Egyptologist, but she provided a way to educate the public on Egyptian culture and funded expeditions to gather that history.
Maggie Benson and Janet “Nettie” Gourley were partners and Egyptologists who worked together to excavate at the Precinct of Mut. They led the first all-female excavation in Egypt and discovered all kinds of statues, goods, and discovered how parts of the Precinct were built. Maggie and Nettie were a couple that challenged male Egyptologists' belief that women couldn’t run an excavation or do this kind of work. I really enjoyed learning about this lesbian couple who made so many fascinating finds at the Precinct of Mut.
Emma Andrews helped fund excavations in Egypt and helped document her lover, Theodore M. Davis, excavations. Margaret Alice Murray was a student at the new Egyptology department at the University College London, the department that was created by Amelia Edwards. She started teaching Egyptology students at Sir Flinders Petrie’s request and was the first woman to be appointed lecturer in archeology in the UK. Some more fascinating facts about Margaret was that she was the first woman to publicly unwrap a mummy and was involved in the first-wave feminist movement. She was a trailblazer. I would have loved to hear her lecture on Egypt and all the other fascinating things she researched.
Kate Griffith was Amelia Edwards former companion and was executor of her will. She and Emily Paterson, the general secretary of the Egypt Excavation Fund, were the main administrators and ran everything while the men were out excavating. These two women were the main touching points for all the Egyptologists working for the Fund and had an extensive network of well known people. These two women were the backbone of this society and because of them so many excavations were able to be funded.
Myrtle Broome and Amice Calverley were Egyptologists and illustrators who worked at copying relief walls at Abydos. They published four detailed and colorful volumes of their drawings that continue to be used today. I highly recommend looking at their drawings and seeing how detailed they are. Caroline Ransom Williams was the first American woman to be professionally trained as an Egyptologist. She had a long career of being a curator for museums, mainly the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA). She was the one who oversaw the Tomb of Perneb being mailed and reassembled at the MMA. She took a few trips to Egypt and worked in the field but her main accomplishments were in the museums in the states building their collections.
This was a fascinating look at some remarkable women. I love that these women keep journals of their travels because it’s now the only way we really know about them and what they accomplished. Reading this just makes me want to have a travel journal for my next trip so I don’t forget all the little details in the future.
Overall, this was a great book of forgotten women. It was cool to see how all of their lives seemed to be intertwined and built off what Amelia Edwards started. Also, I just loved learning about more queer historical figures who broke barriers and followed their dreams.
TW: Misogyny; death of family, lovers and children; grooming; internalized homomisia; racism; colonization;
A wonderful look at some forgotten women
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Women behind the scenes
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Terrible Narrator Disappointing Book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not very compelling and visually lacking
Could have been much more compelling and exciting
Would not reccomend
Nothing really
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.