Story of the life of Queen Elizabeth, the famous English sovereign who guided the ship of state with consummate skill through the troubled waters of the latter half of the sixteenth century. Includes stories of English voyages of exploration and the defeat of the Spanish armada. Historical fiction, suitable for ages 11 and up.
Eva March Tappan was a teacher and American author born in Blackstone, Massachusetts, the only child of Reverend Edmund March Tappan and Lucretia Logée. Eva graduated from Vassar College in 1875. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and an editor of the Vassar Miscellany. After leaving Vassar she began teaching at Wheaton College where she taught Latin and German from 1875 until 1880. From 1884–94 she was the Associate Principal at the Raymond Academy in Camden, New Jersey. She received graduate degrees in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. Tappan was the head of the English department at the English High School at Worcester, Massachusetts. She began her literary career writing about famous characters in history and developed an interest in writing children books. Tappan never married.
I had a very old copy of this book in my collection for years and years without having really looked at it. When I finally decided to read it, I realized that it wasn't a straight historical work, but rather written for young adult readers. I hadn't realized this before, given the generic style of the binding and cover.
The book ends up being very readable and not over simplistic, given that it targets younger readers. it tells the story of the life of Queen Elizabeth simply and directly, without dumbing the language down for younger readers.
Written in 1902 for 6th grade and up, it's a fascinating read. Author did well to present empathetic views of all players from her predecessor Queen Mary to her cousin Mary Queen of Scotts with negligible if any bias in perspective. The same on the count of religion. Punctuation & writing aren't always as it should be, but the research makes it worth the hiccups.
This was incredibly interesting. One of my favorite Tappan biographies so far. It touched on the loves of so many people I didn't know well and gave a peak into each of their lives.