One of the high points in the history of world civilization was the Elizabethan Age in England, when the English were setting sail to explore the New World, and poets and playwrights like Ben Jonson and Will Shakespeare were fashioning the crown of English literature. The inspiration of the age-and the one who gave the name to it-was Queen Elizabeth, the high-spirited, redhaired daughter of Henry VIII.

Contrary to what you might expect, the young Princess Elizabeth led a lonely life in the country with only her governess and tutor for companions. Joyfully she received news that she was recalled to the court by her father. Even in the sumptuous palace at Whitehall, ten-year-old Elizabeth was not happy. Her father was suspicious of everyone, even of his children, and she had to watch her tongue carefully. But one day her quick wit got the better of her, and she was banished from the court to live with her little brother Edward.

It was many years later, during which frail Edward died and their sister Mary held the country in her grip, before Elizabeth herself came to the throne. In The Story of Good Queen Bess, Alida Sims Malkus surpasses herself with the vivid and absorbing story of Elizabeth as a princess and as the queen who ruled England in her greatest glory.

Fifty-three pages of intricate line drawings by Douglas Gorsline.