The book of the courtesans - Susan Griffin

An unprecedented, provocative look at the extraordinary world of the great courtesans, from Veronica Franco, who graced the palazzi of sixteenth-century Venice, and Madame de Pompadour, the arbiter of all things fashionable at Versailles, to La Belle Otero of the Grand Boulevards of fin-de-siecle Paris, who frequently sported jewel-encrusted garters, and Marion Davies who took Hollywood by storm. The Book of the Courtesans enticingly illustrates the intricacies of their lavish lifestyles and their incredible life stories and further reveals how these cunning women seized the opportunity to become the West's first female liberators, free to choose their own lovers and command remarkable respect.

'A manifesto for flirtation. After all, the qualities that the courtesans exploited to achieve influence and riches are still those that are most likely to ensnare a man today. I intend to give a copy to all my singleton friends' Rowan Pelling, Mail on Sunday

'A eulogy to femininity, an essay on what sets certain women apart. Surrender to it: The Book of the Courtesans is as seductive as the women it describes' Lucy Moore, Sunday Times