Seductress
"Starting with the earliest goddess, the original archetype for sexually powerful women, Betsy Prioleau travels over the course of history to identify those women who embodied her spirit and who combined erotic success with autonomy and personal achievement. Each meticulously researched chapter in Seductress explodes a different stereotype and tells the sexy stories of one of six kinds of seductresses: nonbeauties, seniors, intellectuals, artists, and two "commanda" types - governmental leaders and high-octane adventurers. "The classic figures, such as Cleopatra, Lola Montez, and Mae West, appear and strut their legendary stuff, but many other lesser known women, such as the infamous Violet Gordon Woodhouse, who lived in a menage with four men, also take the stage. Other fascinators include: the untamable Beryl Markham, the brainy Lou Andreas Saloine, the harsh-featured Wallis Simpson, and the eye-popping Josephine Baker."--Jacket.