Doomed Queens are hitting the streets
Well, almost anyway. Tomorrow, “Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di,” a new book written and illustrated by Kris Waldherr, becomes available at bookstores all over the country. I first heard about the upcoming release from a Twitter friend’s blog entry about this Catherine of Aragon portrait. Curious, I did some research on Kris’ website, reading the excerpt from the book and Kris’ interview.
I have to tell you, I’m intrigued. Six chapters take us from Biblical times through the modern era with stops along the way in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In each chapter, the story of Queens both famous and unknown are told through words and pictures. The narrative, enhanced by her own original art, is based on Kris’ meticulous research into the lives of these women. She does say in the introduction that, if faced with contradictory information of equal historical persuasiveness, she “allowed the scales to tip toward the more colorful version” of the story.
The seventh chapter asks the question, “Are you a Doomed Queen?” and includes a quiz to help you find out. The press release about the book says this:
“Highlighting queens from around the globe and across the ages—some well known, others quite obscure—DOOMED QUEENS is a wry tribute to those ill-fated power brokers who paved the way for womankind, one spectacular regal ruin at a time, and exposed the unfortunate downside to being born royal and female.
Kris Waldherr is an author, illustrator, and designer whose work has appeared in the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, DC). She is the author of The Lover’s Path and The Book of Goddesses, and creator of The Goddess Tarot. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.”
DOOMED QUEENS
Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di
By Kris Waldherr
Broadway Books
The Doubleday Publishing Group
October 28, 2008
$14.95; 176 Pages; ISBN: 978-0-7679-2899-1
www.doomedqueens.com
www.kriswaldherr.com
www.broadwaybooks.com
Comment by Diane | October 27, 2008
Hello, dear Twitter friend 🙂
You, of course, know the background of my sitting for the wonderful Catherine of Aragon portrait but for readers who are curious how the art shaped up from a simple pose, please reference
http://www.wavelengthtarot.com/?p=54
Take care!
Comment by Escarlata | October 27, 2008
*grinning* Hi, Diane, it’s good to see you here. Thanks for sharing your post with my readers. I wouldn’t out you *chuckling* but I’m glad you did.