Joan of Arc by Kathleen Kudlinski

DK has started a new biography series that is quite impressive. It has all the features which have distinguished DK over the years – first and foremost an impressive collection of visual images and an appealing layout rich in details. The marriage of photographic sources with narrative biography is a natural for many of the subjects in the first several dozen titles released – but there is one unusual choice – Joan of Arc. One would not expect there to be such a rich collection of images associated with her, but there are. And they make her story that much more interesting and dramatic. The house where Joan grew up has been preserved (and the photographs are fascinating). As are the contemporary portraits of the King of France and key members of his court. Joan continues to fascinate. She is a national heroine in France. Her conviction as a heretic was reversed 25 years after her death and in the 20^th century she was canonized as a Saint.

Text is targeted for ages 10 and up – the pictures make it an easy read for any age. Best of all is the affordable price: $4.99 – available directly from Greenleaf Press.

National Geographic also has a new biography series. Their “world history” biography series has an impressive top-notch selection of authors and subjects. There are three of them out in paperback so far: Hatshepsut, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Elizabeth I. Like the DK series, each is profusely illustrated with four color illustrations on every page, as well as maps, charts, and photographs of historic locations as they appear today. The text is targeted at an 8-12 year old reading level, but each biography is well-told and will inform older readers through adults. Each biography is $7.95 and is available directly from Greenleaf Press:

Hatshepsut, The Princess Who Became King, by Ellen Galford

Leonardo Da Vinci, The Genius Who Defined the Renaissance by John Phillips

Elizabeth I, The Outcast Who Became England’s Queen by Simon Adams

Other titles, scheduled for release in the near future include Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Saladin, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Michelangelo, Galileo, and Isaac Newton

All of these are new for 2008. We now have over 1400 titles reviewed and available for sale on the Greenleaf web site. They’ve all been individually selected and reviewed by Rob personally. If, for any reason, you’re not satisfied with a book you’ve ordered from us, you can return it unconditionally for a full refund of the purchase price.

I’ll have some more reviews to share next week – Cheryl Harness has some great new presidential biographies out, among other new titles

• Rob Shearer
  Publisher, Greenleaf Press
  Director, Schaeffer Study Center