This is the first translation into modern English of Christine de Pizan's major political work, The Book of the Body Politic (c. 1407). Written during the Hundred Years' War by France's first female professional writer, it discusses the education and behavior appropriate for princes, nobility and common people, so that all classes can understand their responsibilities toward society as a whole. The product of a time of unrest and disorder, the book provides a fascinating view of politics from the perspective of an educated woman.

In dialogues with three celestial ladies, Reason, Rectitude, and Justice, Christine de Pizan (1365-ca. 1429) builds an allegorical fortified city for women using examples of the important contributions women have made to Western Civilization and arguments that prove their intellectual and moral equality to men. Earl Jeffrey Richards' acclaimed translation is used nationwide in the most eminent colleges and universities in America, from Columbia to Stanford.