Cleopatra vs History of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Cleopatra, Queens, Biography & Memoir

Cover of Cleopatra

Cleopatra Lucy Hughes-Hallett · 1990 ★★★★☆ 3.8 417 pages · ≈ 7 h 43 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

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Cover of History of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt

History of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt Jacob Abbott · 1851 ★★★★☆ 3.8 220 pages · ≈ 4 h 04 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
History of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 7 for Cleopatra.
Cleopatra is the easier read (Moderate), History of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side