author
Ruth Putnam
1856–1931
A historian with a gift for bringing Europe’s past to life, she wrote vivid, carefully researched books on figures such as William the Silent and the House of Orange. Her work joined serious scholarship with a clear, readable style that still feels inviting.
3 Audiobooks
The Count of the Saxon Shore; or The Villa in Vectis. A Tale of the Departure of the Romans from Britain
by Alfred John Church, Ruth Putnam
Charles the Bold, Last Duke of Burgundy, 1433-1477
by Ruth Putnam
Willem de Zwijger, Prins van Oranje
by Ruth Putnam
About the author
Born in Yonkers, New York, in 1856, Ruth Putnam was an American author, historian, and supporter of women’s civic life. She was the daughter of publisher George Palmer Putnam and studied at Cornell University, graduating in 1878 during the school’s early years of educating women.
Putnam became known for historical writing grounded in original sources, especially on Dutch and European history. Among her best-known books are William the Silent, Prince of Orange and A Medieval Princess, works that reflect her interest in turning archival research into lively narrative.
She was also active beyond the page, serving as an alumna trustee of Cornell and supporting woman suffrage. Putnam died in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1931, leaving behind a body of historical writing admired for both its care and its accessibility.