Stacy Schiff is an American historian and biographer who has written Pulitzer Prize-winning books on subjects including the Salem witch trials, Vera Nabokov, and Cleopatra. Her work is characterized by rigorous research and clear, concise prose. Schiff has a knack for finding the humanity in her subjects, no matter how famous or infamous they may be. In her books, she brings history to life in a way that is both accessible and engaging. Stacy Schiff's first book, A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2005. The book tells the story of Benjamin Franklin's time in France during the American Revolution. Schiff paints a vivid picture of Franklin as a diplomat, scientist, and inventor, and brings the French Revolution to life through the eyes of one of its most important participants. In 2010, Schiff released Vera: Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov, a biography of Vladimir Nabokov's wife Vera. The book was met with critical acclaim, with reviewers calling it "a masterpiece" and "a triumph." The book provides a fascinating look at the inner life of one of the twentieth century's most important writers. In 2015, Schiff released her most ambitious work yet, Cleopatra: A Life. The book tells the story of the legendary Egyptian queen, from her early days as a princess to her death at the hands of Octavian. Schiff's Cleopatra is a complex and fully-realized character, and her book is a masterful work of historical biography.