The French writer Henri de Kock (1821–1892), the author of adventure novels, wrote a series of short stories “The History of Famous Courtesans”, in which he entertainingly told about the bright, stormy, most often dramatic destinies of women who always knew their worth as ancient Egypt and Rome, and at the courts of European capitals. Among the heroines of this book, the reader will find Cleopatra and Messalina, whose names have already become household names, meet Raphael's beloved Fornarina and get acquainted with other, less famous, but no less brilliant representatives of the fair sex. Book is full of historical details from different eras, and it partially preserves the style and manner of presentation characteristic of publications centuries ago.