Cleopatra's Nose: 39 Varieties of Desire

A New York Times Notable Book of 2007Cleopatras Nose is an exuberant gathering of essays and profiles representing twenty years of Judith Thurmans writing particularly her fascination with human vanity femininity and womens work--a term that in her definition encompasses haute couture literature and ruling empires. The subjects are varied--Cleopatra Jackie Kennedy Anne Frank; tofu performance art pornography--but as a whole these essays hint at the central preoccupations of a uniquely inquisitive mind.