European history: Renaissance Books
Taschen GmbH Michelangelo. The Complete Works. Paintings,
Book SynopsisBefore reaching the tender age of 30, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) had already sculpted Pietà and David, two of the most famous sculptures in the entire history of art. As a sculptor, painter, draftsman, and architect, the achievements of this Italian master are unique—no artist before or after him has ever produced such a vast, multifaceted, and wide-ranging œuvre. This fresh TASCHEN edition traces Michelangelo’s ascent to the cultural elite of the Renaissance. Ten richly illustrated chapters cover the artist’s paintings, sculptures, and architecture, including a close analysis of the artist’s tour de force frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Full-page reproductions and enlarged details allow readers to appreciate the finest details in the artist’s repertoire, while the book’s biographical essay considers Michelangelo’s more personal traits and circumstances, such as his solitary nature, his thirst for money and commissions, his immense wealth, and his skill as a property investor.Trade Review“If a visit to the Sistine Chapel is not on the cards, this magnificent book is the next best thing…” * The Sunday Express Magazine *
£54.00
Atlantic Books The Florentines: From Dante to Galileo
Book SynopsisBetween the birth of Dante in 1265 and the death of Galileo in 1642 something happened which completely revolutionized Western civilization. Painting, sculpture and architecture would all visibly change in a striking fashion. Likewise, the thought and self-conception of humanity would take on a completely different aspect. Sciences would be born - or emerge in an entirely new guise.In this sweeping 400-year history, Paul Strathern reveals how, and why, these new ideas which formed the Renaissance began, and flourished, in the city of Florence. Just as central and northern Germany gave birth to the Reformation, Britain was a driver of the Industrial Revolution and Silicon Valley shaped the digital age, so too, Strathern argues, did Florence play a similarly unique and transformative role in the Renaissance.While vividly bringing to life the city and a vast cast of characters - including Dante, Botticelli, Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Galileo - Strathern shows how these great Florentines forever altered Europe and the Western world.Trade ReviewA thought-provoking re-examination of the great Florentine artists, scientists and business wizards of the Renaissance... Strathern has an engaging habit of dwelling on the close connection in the Florentine cultural sphere between art and money, matters seldom so intimately juxtaposed...His prose glimmers with the spark of rekindled discovery. * Wall Street Journal *Strathern keeps readers engaged throughout with a sprinkling of colourful anecdotes, often taken from contemporary (or slightly later) sources... Those coming to the period for the first time will be able to sense the flavour of the social, political and cultural life that shaped a city that still attracts so many tourists. * BBC History Magazine *[Strathern] has a knack for conveying in pleasing prose, spiced with anecdotes, the essentials of an argument, an interesting juxtaposition, or the importance of an episode or person. * Times Literary Supplement *Vivid biographical sketches cast famous Florentines in a more dynamic light than most modern portrayals... Buoyed by incisive details and a brisk pace, this is a welcome introduction to the city and the personalities behind the Renaissance. * Publishers Weekly *If Vanity Fair magazine had existed during the Renaissance, every issue might have brought tales of Florentine A-listers and their power plays, artistic triumphs, sexual exploits, and financial chicanery. Strathern aims to show how such Florentines paved the way for a global humanism focused on people's lives on Earth instead of on the medieval view that existence was only preparation for an afterlife. Strathern is an intellectually agile writer who covers four centuries briskly - and serves up occasional surprises. * Kirkus Reviews *Strathern meticulously guides readers through the lives of famous Renaissance visionaries... this book doesn't just describe each individuals' accomplishments, but also shows how their lives full of shared experiences and unique circumstances were intricately intertwined in a way which positioned them to lead Europe into the Renaissance. Bringing the Renaissance into better focus, this well-researched work is highly recommended for readers with an interest in the era, art history, and Italian history. * Library Journal *Very occasionally we are offered an entirely new perspective on a body of detail with which we already seem entirely familiar but which has the effect of transforming our understanding. Paul Strathern's The Florentines is such a work... Powerfully argued and very carefully researched... A major commentary on the development and evolution of the Renaissance. * Historical Association *A marvelous, wide-ranging, and accessible history of Florence and the historical giants from the city that have influenced the course of western civilization. There should be more history books like The Florentines to delve in specific time periods and geographic locations. It is not just the intrinsically interesting period that Strathern delves into that makes this a truly excellent book, but his skill at understanding and connecting the people and ideas of the time. * The Interim, ‘Book of the Week’ *Well-written and exhaustively researched... It is a page-turner, and on that presents a fascinating new perspective on the stories and people of Florence. * All About History *Table of Contents1: Dante and Florence 2: Wealth, Freedom and Talent 3: A Clear Eye Amidst Troubled Times 4: Boccaccio and Petrarch 5: War and Peace 6: The Dome 7: The Mathematical Artists 8: Those Who Paid the Bills 9: The Renaissance Spreads Its Wings 10: Medici Rising 11: A Medici Artist 12: Il Magnifico 13: Leonardo 14: Shifting Ground 15: Undercurrents 16: The Bonfire of the Vanities 17: Machiavelli 18: Michelangelo 19: Galileo 20: Epilogue
£10.44
Amberley Publishing The House of Beaufort
Book SynopsisJohn of Gaunt's illegitimate line whose role in the Wars of the Roses led to the capture of the crown.Trade Review‘The Beauforts were key players in the dramatic history of late medieval England, taking their place centre stage long before Margaret Beaufort’s son Henry Tudor won the crown at Bosworth in 1485. Here, Nathen Amin puts them in the spotlight, telling their remarkable story with insight, passion and verve’ -- Helen Castor, Author of SHE WOLVES'Puts the Beauforts in the spotlight, telling their remarkable story with insight, passion and verve.' -- Dr Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves and Elizabeth I'This book is a must for any student of English history in the fifteenth century.' -- Matthew Lewis, author of Survival of the Princes and Richard of York, King by Right'A compelling, captivating and fascinating book' -- Sarah Bryson, author of La Reine Blanche
£10.79
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Conclave 1559: Ippolito d'Este and the Papal
Book SynopsisIntrigue, double-dealing and conspiracy in the Eternal City. 'A fascinating narrative of the intermingling of secular and religious power' New Statesman 'A highly enjoyable and thrilling read... Hollingsworth has peeled back the veil of secrecy surrounding papal conclaves' History Today 'Full of lively detail and colour' Literary Review August 1559. As the long hot Italian summer draws to its close, so does the life of a rigidly orthodox and profoundly unpopular pope. The papacy of Paul IV has seen the establishing of the Roman Inquisition and the Index of Prohibited Books, an unbending refusal to open dialogue with Protestants, and the ghettoization of Rome's Jews. On 5 September 1559, as the great doors of the Vatican's Sala Regia are ceremonially locked, the future of the Catholic Church hangs in the balance. Mary Hollingsworth offers a compelling and sedulously crafted reconstruction of the longest and most taxing of sixteenth-century papal elections. Its crisscrossing fault lines divided not only moderates from conservatives, but also the adherents of three national 'factions' with mutually incompatible interests. France and Spain were both looking to extend their power in Italy and beyond and had very different ideas of who the new pope should be – as did the Italian cardinals. Drawing on the detailed account books left by Ippolito d'Este, one of the participating cardinals, Conclave 1559 provides remarkable insights into the daily lives and concerns of the forty-seven men locked up for some four months in the Vatican.Trade Review[A] rich, full history of the politicking and personalities of the conclave... A fascinating narrative of the intermingling of secular and religious power' -- Michael Prodger, New StatesmanMary Hollingsworth is an entertaining guide... Brings to life not only the political dimension, but the fascinating material detail' -- Catherine Fletcher, BBC History MagazineA highly enjoyable and thrilling read... Hollingsworth has peeled back the veil of secrecy surrounding papal conclaves' * History Today *Full of lively detail and colour... Readers of history who are both passionate and patient will enjoy it' * Literary Review *PRAISE FOR MARY HOLLINGSWORTH: 'Exceptionally sumptuous... This vivid history brings to life the vices and virtues of the feuding ruling families of Italy' The Times, on Princes of the Renaissance. 'A chance to visit a glittering, at times rather gory, world that is different and yet dreamily familiar to our own' BBC History Revealed, on Princes of the Renaissance. 'Dense politics relieved by dazzling art' Kirkus, on Princes of the Renaissance. 'This forensic study of the Renaissance banking dynasty conjures up a world of art, literature, philosophy – and brutality' Telegraph, on The Medici. 'Lavishly illustrated, clearly written and meticulously edited' * TLS, on The Medici *
£10.44
Graphic Arts Books The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy
Book SynopsisThe Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860) is a work of art history by Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt. Recognized today as the founder of modern art history and as one of the key thinkers of the nineteenth century, Burckhardt changed not only the way we think about the Renaissance in relation to European and world history, but the value placed on art as a tool for understanding historical developments. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy begins with a section on the historical events which sparked the Renaissance, focusing especially on the frequent military conflicts which marred the era as well as on the constant political upheavals undergone by such Italian regions and cities as Rome, Venice, and Florence. Burckhardt then moves to a philosophical discussion of the development of individuality in Italian culture, arguing that the political circumstances of those living in the Republics enabled such thinkers as Dante and Petrarch to create art that corresponded with that newfound sense of individuality. The third section discusses one of the key elements of Renaissance culture: the revival of interest in the cultural products of the ancient world, especially Greece and Rome. Part four focuses on the prominence of discovery in Renaissance culture, for which Burckhardt looks to the colonial expedition of Columbus, the growth of the natural sciences, and the achievements of such poets and writers as Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio in discovering new ways to describe humanity and the human spirit. In the fifth section, the importance of societal customs and festivals is discussed, and in the sixth and final part, Burckhardt observes the profound shifts undergone by religion and morality in Italy at the time. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy is a thorough, dynamic work of art history that not only changed the study of history at universities around the world, but elevated the status of art in understanding the process of cultural change. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jacob Burckhardt’s The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy is a classic of European art history reimagined for modern readers.
£17.99
Rizzoli International Publications Venice and the Doges
Book SynopsisWhile Venice is better known for soft light and atmospheric painters, this elegant new volume transforms our understanding of Venetian sculpture and its place in the city’s artistic tradition.A feast for the eyes and an entertaining, erudite read, this book opens with an illustrated survey of the 120 doges who led the Venetian Republic before continuing with a detailed survey of the incredible array of sculptures and monuments that memorialize them.Although celebrated for painting and music, Venice has a sculptural tradition that was overshadowed by Florence and Rome. Based on new scholarship, this volume reveals the true magnificence of six centuries of Venetian sculpture. With the oldest works dating to the thirteenth century, these masterpieces fill the city’s churches and include pieces by great masters from the Lombardo family to Antonio Rizzo, Jacopo Sansovino, Alessandro Vittoria, and Baldassare Longhena.The sculptural marvels of VeniceTrade Review"If you want to understand the great serenity of La Serenissima, look no further than its succession of doges. Through its stable leadership, Venice’s ducal republic endured for over a thousand years, even influencing America’s founding, until its destruction by Napoleon in 1797. Venice and the Doges: Six Hundred Years of Architecture, Monuments, and Sculpture, a lavish new book from Rizzoli Electa, looks to the history of the 120 doges through their surviving funerary monuments. Written by Toto Bergamo Rossi, the director of the Venetian Heritage Foundation, with photographs by Matteo de Fina, the book reveals such highlights as Pietro Mocenigo’s monument in the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (1476) and the Contarini tomb in the Church of San Francesco della Vigna (1624/84). Taken together, the book’s elegant memorials speak to the life, and lives, of the Venetian Republic." —The New Criterion"Embark on a visually captivating journey through this remarkable book, delving into Venetian history and its remarkable sculptural heritage. From the illustrious doges who guided the Venetian Republic to the breathtaking sculptures and monuments that immortalize them, this volume unveils six centuries of magnificence. Discover hidden masterpieces by esteemed artists like the Lombardo family, Antonio Rizzo, and Jacopo Sansovino. With engaging text and stunning photography, this book reveals the grandeur and cultural significance of Venetian sculpture. Experience the adventures, triumphs, and lives of legendary figures in this concise exploration of Venice’s sculptural marvels." ~Indulge
£75.00
Reaktion Books Artemisia Gentileschi and Feminism in Early
Book SynopsisArtemisia Gentileschi is by far the most famous woman artist of the pre-modern era. Her art addresses issues that resonate today, such as sexual violence and women's problematic access to political power. Her forceful paintings with their vigorous female protagonists have excited modern audiences, especially feminists. This book breaks new ground by placing the artist in the context of women's political history, and the feminist protest that was bubbling in early modern Europe. Mary D. Garrard discusses recently discovered paintings, offers fresh perspectives on known works and examines the artist anew in the context of early modern feminism. This beautifully illustrated book, now in paperback, gives a full portrait of a strong woman and a great artist who fought back through her art.Trade Review'Artemesia Gentileschi deserves a place in the canon of art history not merely because she was a successful artist in a man's world, but also because she was an exceptionally good painter. This book is more about her place in women's political history than about her art per se, but her art inevitably illuminates her status, life, and career.' - The Art Newspaper; 'The full-scale rediscovery of the artist began with Garrard's monograph of 1989, Artemisia Gentileschi: The Image of the Female Hero in Italian Baroque Art. In the three decades that have followed, Artemisia's reputation has continued to grow. In a new book, Artemisia Gentileschi and Feminism in Early Modern Europe, Garrard says it's perfectly legitimate to refer to the artist by her first name, partly to distinguish her from her artist father, Orazio Gentileschi, and partly because we have no qualms in speaking familiarly of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael or Titian . . . Did Artemisia ever think of herself as a 'feminist?' In her new book Garrard has addressed this question directly. She argues that feminism, like science, should be seen as 'a continuum that has evolved over time, from the fourteenth century to the present.' - Sydney Morning Herald; 'Compelling . . . There's not a little irony in reading Garrard's lively account of a seventeenth-century artist's life wherein plague is plentiful - Artemisia likely died of it - when a plague (or at least pandemic) is back on the table. How strange that a book about the late Renaissance and Baroque would now prove so very much of our time. It's timely in the sense of the aforementioned deadly and contagious illness, but also features tyranny, religious persecution and reaction. And it is timely in its exploration of feminist outrage at patriarchal power, of men's control over women's bodies, and in the exploration of an art of anger, accusation, and even great wit. It's a lot and it's awesome . . . Much more than an exploration of a singular female artist of the Italian Baroque, it's a map of interconnected traditions, intellectual conversations, inspirations and leapfrogging, a whole network of early modern European feminists in conversation with one another, and with us, across time.' - Hyperallergic; 'No in-depth study of Artemisia's artistic achievements can ignore the fact that Artemisia was a woman in a man's world. Placing Artemisia's life and work in the context of early modern feminism, Garrard's handy-sized book builds on her groundbreaking study Artemisia Gentileschi: The Image of the Female Hero in Italian Baroque Art . . . Her feminist perspective frequently offers considerable food for thought.' - 'Five must-read books about Artemisia Gentileschi', The Art Newspaper; 'Garrard's strategy of situating Gentileschi's paintings within the contemporary writing and patronage of women avoids the shallows, contextualising the paintings within a broad and lively field of female authorship, creativity and crucially, feminism avant-la-lettre. This does not render the emotion in Gentileschi's paintings insubstantial, but rather rebalances it against a feminist intellectual ballast, recuperating this extraordinary artist's richness and range. It reframes Gentileschi's work as a deliberate intervention in public debate.' - Women's Studies Group; 'an important study that furthers our understanding of the Italian Baroque painter . . . As well as being informative and extending Garrard's previous theories about feminism in Early Modern Europe, the book is visually stunning with sixty-nine illustrations, sixty-five of them in color.' - Religion and the Arts; 'Garrard artfully contextualizes Artemisia's life and works into a facet of early modern cultural consciousness that was full of gendered struggles and misogynistic presumptions . . . should be read, felt, and loved by many.' - Comitatus; 'Mary Garrard's return to the great Artemisia Gentileschi is uniquely rich in knowledge and reflection. It is not only an authoritative study of the historical Artemisia and the ways - whether openly brutal, subtly injurious or beneficial - in which her art and life were affected by her sex. It also places her in the "transhistorical community of women" that Garrard brings to life. The book is moreover a heartfelt appeal to writers and readers of art history to account for their own attitudes and experiences. And with all that, it is a pleasure to read.' - Gary Schwartz, art historian; 'Mary Garrard's exciting new book on the Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi marks another formidable contribution to the field by this ground-breaking scholar. Garrard weaves a rich tapestry of women's voices, arguing that the shared vision of remarkable women of the period reflects a pervasive and influential feminist phenomenon in Europe. This book will provide a provocative source for understanding the pan-European phenomenon of what Garrard aptly terms the "woman on top."' - Babette Bohn, professor of art history, Texas Christian University and author of Women Artists, Their Patrons, and Their Publics in Early Modern BolognaTable of ContentsPreface 1 Artemisia and the Writers: Feminism in Early Modern Europe 2 Sexuality and Sexual Violation: Susanna and Lucretia 3 The Fictive Self: Musicians and Magdalenes 4 Women and Political Power: Judith 5 Battle of the Sexes: Women on Top 6 The Divided Self: Allegorical and Real 7 Matriarchal Succession: The Greenwich Ceiling References select Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index
£13.46
Headline Publishing Group Six Tudor Queens Jane Seymour The Haunted Queen
Book Synopsis''This brilliant book is a bombshell! Jane Seymour the shy mouse type? Think again!'' Kate WilliamsAlison Weir, historian and author of the Sunday Times bestsellers Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King''s Obsession, draws an enthralling portrait of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII''s third queen, as you''ve never seen her before. Essential reading for fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick.''This six-book series looks likely to become a landmark in historical fiction'' The TimesTHE WOMAN HAUNTED BY THE FATE OF HER PREDECESSOR. Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn, Jane is dressing for her wedding to the King.She has witnessed at first hand how courtly play can quickly turn to danger and knows she must bear a son . . . or face ruin.This new Queen must therefore step out from the shadows cast by Katherine and AnTrade ReviewThis six-book series looks likely to become a landmark in historical fiction * The Times *Alison Weir gives a fresh take on Jane Seymour's life . . . A brilliant and engaging read * Good Housekeeping *Gripping and utterly compelling . . . Henry VIII's third and - allegedly - best-loved wife is brought vividly to life . . . Not to be missed -- Tracy BormanWritten with the verve of fiction and the authority of history, this is a Jane who is neither a puppet, a pious victim nor a po-faced schemer, but a living, breathing woman, launched on her own emotional journey. Meticulous research is magically transformed into a riveting narrative which takes us into the places non-fiction history cannot reach. It's what Alison Weir does better than anybody - and what historical fiction was created to do -- Sarah GristwoodDeft, authoritative biographical fiction * Kirkus Reviews *This brilliant book is a bombshell! Jane Seymour the shy mouse type? Think again! . . . She is vibrant, determined and she sets the King's court on fire . . . A magnificent novel - you'll never forget her! -- Kate WilliamsHugely enjoyable . . . Alison Weir knows her subject and has a knack for the telling and textural detail * Daily Mail *Combining her authority as a historian with her skill as a novelist, in telling Jane Seymour's story Alison has once again brought the past enthrallingly to life, as only she can. The Haunted Queen is another classic - in the great tradition of historical fiction -- Josephine RossVivid characters and a wonderful sense of time and place combine with the story of a gentle, kind heroine who I really cared about, the more so because she was so cruelly robbed of her life at the moment of her greatest happiness -- Barbara ErskineWeir does an excellent job of bringing the pages of history to life; creating living, breathing characters with flaws and weaknesses like our own * Bookbag *Weir's impressive novel shows why Jane deserves renewed attention . . . This third volume in Weir's exceptional Six Tudor Queens series offers new angles on its earlier subjects [Katherine and Anne] . . . Weir keeps the tension high, breathing new life into a familiar tale and making us wish for a different ending * Booklist *This retelling portrays Jane as a lady of principle. Meticulously researched and richly rewarding * Candis Magazine *A triumph of fine detail and research and offers a complex depiction of an endlessly fascinating woman -- Elizabeth FremantleAlison Weir's wonderfully detailed novel offers a spellbinding solution to the mystery of Anne [Boleyn's] true nature . . . Enthralling -- Sarah GristwoodWell researched and engrossing * Good Housekeeping *Alison Weir makes history come alive as no one else -- Barbara Erskine
£9.49
Trustees of the Royal Armouries A Arms and Armour of the Elizabethan Court Arms
Book SynopsisThe Elizabethan court was a vibrant and colourful place, where the inherited traditions and technological skill that had characterised the Middle Ages came face to face with the decorative techniques of the Renaissance. This book shows how the Royal Armouries' collections can be studied to gain insight into this creative and dynamic period.
£9.49
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Florence in the Age of the Medici and Savonarola,
Book SynopsisSet within the context of the struggles in the Florentine Republic over the distribution of political power and the search for stability, Florence in the Age of the Medici and Savonarola, 1464–1498: A Short History with Documents illuminates a key moment of fifteenth-century Florentine history with a focus on the monumental personalities and actions of Lorenzo de’Medici and Fra Girolamo Savonarola.Trade Review"A brief narrative overview of the mainly political history of Florence to the end of the fifteenth century that also offers an attractive collection of illustrative documents, aimed to engage student interest and discussion." —Melissa Bullard, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"Bartlett cuts through the political complexities of fifteenth-century Florence to offer students an engaging and accessible narrative supplemented by a wide range of relevant primary documents. This story of a key turning point in Florentine history continues to have much relevance in our own society.” —Brian J. Maxson, East Tennessee State University
£42.50
HarperCollins Publishers 1434 The Year a Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and
Book SynopsisIn his bestselling book 1421:The Year China Discovered the World, Gavin Menzies revealed that it was the Chinese that discovered America, not Columbus. Now he presents further astonishing evidence that it was also Chinese advances in science, art, and technology that formed the basis of the European Renaissance and our modern world.In his bestselling book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World, Gavin Menzies presented controversial and compelling evidence that Chinese fleets beat Columbus, Cook and Magellan to the New World. But his research has led him to astonishing new discoveries that Chinese influence on Western culture didn't stop there.Until now, scholars have considered that the Italian Renaissance - the basis of our modern Western world - came about as a result of a re-examining the ideas of classical Greece and Rome. A stunning reappraisal of history is about to be published.Gavin Menzies makes the startling argument that a sophisticated Chinese delegation visited Italy inTrade Review‘Menzies has come up with something entirely new…it is a startling claim.’ Guardian
£10.44
Johns Hopkins University Press A Forest on the Sea
Book SynopsisIt sheds new light on how cultural conceptions about nature influenced political policies for resource conservation and land management in Venice.Trade ReviewA useful work for upper-level students doing in-depth research. Choice The work of Karl Appuhn, based on extensive archival research and rich technical insights, offers a major study devoted to the social, economic, administrative, and political aspects of Venetian forest management. -- David Celetti Renaissance Quarterly Magisterial. -- John M. Hunt Journal of Modern History A wonderful study of Venetian politics, natural knowledge, resource management, and bureaucratic development. -- Chandra Mukerji American Historical Review With this splendid and painstakingly researched volume, Appuhn is sure to inspire others to the view that nature is to be honored and respected, managed if necessary, but not merely there for human taking. -- Robert A. Pierce Sixteenth Century Journal A must-have. Richly illustrated, highly readable, and filled with fascinating detail, this book should also enjoy a far wider readership among Pacific, colonial, and natural historians alike. -- Emily Manktelow Journal of World History Appuhn blazes a trail where others may very usefully follow. -- Paul Warde Cultural and Social History This remarkable book contains many fascinating details. -- Pamela H. Smith IsisTable of ContentsList of Tables and FiguresAcknowledgmentsNote on DatesIntroductionStates, Economies, and NatureChronology1. Forest Exploitation before the Venetian ConquestVenetian Demand for Forest ProductsRegional Forest Ecologies and the Venetian Timber SupplyLocal Practices of Forest Exploitation and Venetian ShortagesPerceived Shortages and the Emergence of the Market Hierarchy2. The Venetian Discovery of Mainland ForestsWater Management and Venetian Interpretations of Mainland LandscapesLocal Property Rights and the Limits of Venetian Power to Preserve ForestsThe Failure of Market Regulations3. Venetian Forestry Laws and the Creation of Public Forest ReservesThe Creation of the Boschi PubbliciThe 1476 Forestry Laws and the Hierarchy of Forest UtilizationThe Cambrai Crisis, Fiscal Reform, and the Expansion of the State ReservesThe Expansion of Forestry Legislation and Its Consequences4. The Venetian Forest BureaucracyA Divided BureaucracyA New Role for the Provveditori alle LegneSixteenth-Century Forest SurveysHarvests, Local Resistance, and Perceptions of ScarcityThe Catastico Garzoni and the Knowledge Gap5. The Preservation and Reproduction of BureaucraticKnowledgeVenetian Bureaucratic ExpertiseThe Cadastral Surveys and the Preservation of Collective KnowledgeThe Cadastral Surveys as Natural Historical NarrativeTopographical Maps and the Reproduction of Knowledge6. Nature's Republic or Republican Nature?Peak Demand and Peak Anxiety in Eighteenth-CenturyVeniceInstitutional Reform and the Res Publica of ForestsThe Venetian Moral Economy of NatureVenetian Discourses in a European ContextConclusionThe Three Trials of Pietro GavardoFinding Meaning in the ForestAppendixNotesGlossaryBibliography
£49.95
Johns Hopkins University Press The Mediterranean World
Book SynopsisStructured around four interlocking themes-mobility, state development, commerce, and frontiers-this beautifully illustrated book brings new dimensions to the concepts of Mediterranean nationality and identity.Trade Review. . . handy. . .—Renaissance QuarterlyThe Mediterranean World succeeds as an accessible, up-to-date synthesis of recent interpretations of the Mediterranean for students and general readers. Specialists will undoubtedly be familiar with many of its interpretive points, and the book focuses more on stressing the consistent permeability of Mediterranean borders and boundaries than it does on defending a single overarching thesis. But this stress on synthesizing recent trends, coupled with the book’s enviable readability, will make it an excellent classroom text for undergraduates or even beginning graduate students. It is a book that defies assumptions about a Mediterranean splintered by religion, politics and culture and instead presents a nuanced view of a geographical body where divisions coexisted with deep connections that often traversed differences.—European History QuarterlyTable of ContentsList of MapsPrefaceA Note on Names and DatesIntroductionHistorians and the SeaApproaches and Themes1. The Waning of the Roman MediterraneanMare NostrumA Christian MediterraneanAn Eastern and a Western Mediterranean2. Forging New TraditionsAn Arabic MediterraneanBetween New Imperial CapitalsClimate Change and Collapse3. Early Medieval Economies and CulturesShifting Economies and Merchant NetworksCultural Capitals and Intellectual ExchangeReligious LifeReligious InstitutionsThe Rise of Religious Orthodoxies4. Reshaping Political CommunitiesNew Contenders for Power from the PeripheriesChristian Ideas of Holy War and the First CrusadeA Second Wave of Holy Warriors in the East and WestNew Monarchs, New States5. Crossing BoundariesIndividual and Community Lives on the FrontierConversion, Persuasion, and InquisitionMobility, Accommodation, and AcculturationMovement of Ideas and IntellectualsIntellectual and Artistic Cultures at Court6. Commerce, Conquest, and TravelCommercial Exchange and InnovationsTrade, Colonization, and the StateCompetition, Conflict, and CrusadeMobility of PeopleThe Bubonic Plague7. Crisis and Consolidation in State and SocietyNew Contenders for PowerThe Fourteenth-Century CrisisCivil Wars and Centralizing RegimesTransitions in the Eastern Mediterranean8. The Renaissance BazaarNetworks of Exchange and Material CultureIntellectual DiscoursesPatronage and Power9. Mediterranean EmpiresThe Ottoman EmpireHabsburg SpainVeniceCommon Friends, Common Enemies10. Life on the FrontierDefining and Mapping FrontiersMigration and MovementMediterranean SlaveryCorsairsRenegadesReligion and Life on the Frontier11. Mediterranean TransformationsThe EnvironmentDemographyDisease and FamineEconomyTravel and Literature12. The Waning of the Early Modern MediterraneanRussiaNapoleonCorsairs and SlavesCollecting the MediterraneanGuide to ResourcesIndex
£27.45
Amberley Publishing Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII's Obsession
Book SynopsisDoomed queen of Henry VIII, mother to Elizabeth I, the epic story of Anne Boleyn.Anne Boleyn was the most controversial and scandalous woman ever to sit on the throne of England. From her early days at the imposing Hever Castle in Kent, to the glittering courts of Paris and London, Anne caused a stir wherever she went. Alluring but not beautiful, Anne's wit and poise won her numerous admirers at the English court, and caught the roving eye of King Henry. Anne was determined to shape her own destiny, first through a secret engagement to Henry Percy, the heir of the Earl of Northumberland, and later through her insistence on marriage with the king, after a long and tempestuous relationship as his mistress. Their love affair was as extreme as it was deadly, from Henry's 'mine own sweetheart' to 'cursed and poisoning whore' her fall from grace was total.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Sir Thomas Boleyn's Daughter 2. So Pleasing in Her Youthful Age 3. Mademoiselle Boleyn 4. A Secret Love 5. Fair Brunet 6. For Caesar's I Am 7. A King's Great Matter 8. The Night Crow 9. The Concubine 10. Pope in England 11. The Most Happy 12. Queen Anne 13. Rebels & Traitoresses 14. No More Boys by Her 15. Sick & Tired of the Concubine 16. Turned Trust to Treason 17. The Lady in the Tower 18. Out of Hell into Heaven Notes Bibliography List of Illustrations Index
£10.44
Zone Books Who Are You?: Identification, Deception, and
Book Synopsis
£27.00
Little, Brown & Company The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty
Book SynopsisIn the bestselling tradition of The Swerve and A Distant Mirror, THE VERGE tells the story of a period that marked a decisive turning point for both European and world history. Here, author Patrick Wyman examines two complementary and contradictory sides of the same historical coin: the world-altering implications of the developments of printed mass media, extreme taxation, exploitative globalization, humanistic learning, gunpowder warfare, and mass religious conflict in the long term, and their intensely disruptive consequences in the short-term.As told through the lives of ten real people -- from famous figures like Christopher Columbus and wealthy banker Jakob Fugger to a ruthless small-time merchant and a one-armed mercenary captain -- THE VERGE illustrates how their lives, and the times in which they lived, set the stage for an unprecedented globalized future.Over an intense forty-year period, the seeds for the so-called "Great Divergence" between Western Europe and the rest of the globe would be planted. From Columbus's voyage across the Atlantic to Martin Luther's sparking the Protestant Reformation, the foundations of our own, recognizably modern world came into being.For the past 500 years, historians, economists, and the policy-oriented have argued which of these individual developments best explains the West's rise from backwater periphery to global dominance. As THE VERGE presents it, however, the answer is far more nuanced.
£22.50
Indiana University Press Hungary between Two Empires 15261711
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPálffy offers a complex representation of the two centuries by not only depicting the military and political struggle for the liberation and the restoration of the unity of the Kingdom of Hungary. The result is a differentiated description of the developing institutions, infrastructure, economy, social structure and demographic development. -- Marta Fata * Sehepunkte *Written in an elegant and seductive way, well-balanced, with assessments that are not only unique, but also solidly argued, with an exceptional iconographic support (maps, illustrations etc.) wonderfully distributed throughout the book, professor Gèza Pálffy's book will surely impose itself as an original synthesis with a substantial echo among the readers who are both historians and history enthusiasts. -- Ionut Costea * Philobiblon *This important volume introduces English readers to one of the most critical periods of Central European history when "Hungary became the periphery and battleground of two empires, the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy." . . . Pálffy has written a masterpiece that goes well beyond introductory accounts so common in English-language academic publishing. The author provides both a window on the fascinating complexities of early modern Hungarian history as well as a refreshing reevaluation of traditional Hungarian historiography. In a more general sense, anyone interested in Central and Eastern Europe will appreciate how Pálffy illustrates the richness of Hungarian political, demographic, economic, and cultural developments. The book will benefit specialists, students, and general readers interested in the history of Hungary, its relationships with the Habsburg and Ottoman empires, and Hungary's place in early modern Europe. Students and scholars alike are well advised to put Pálffy's volume on their reading lists. -- Georg B. Michels * Hungarian Studies Review *Filling a glaring lacuna in the English-language literature on late medieval and early modern Hungary, Pálffy's study critically challenges modern scholarship in ways that feel both timely and relevant given the troubling political climate in modern Hungary and much of the West. -- Christopher M. Van Demark * Hungarian Cultural Studies *Pálffy has written a masterpiece that goes well beyond introductory ac- counts so common in English-language academic publishing. The author provides both a window on the fascinating complexities of early mod- ern Hungarian history as well as a refreshing reevaluation of traditional Hungarian historiography. In a more general sense, anyone interested in Central and Eastern Europe will appreciate how Pálffy illustrates the rich- ness of Hungarian political, demographic, economic, and cultural devel- opments. -- Georg B Michels - University of California * Hungarian Studies Review *Table of ContentsList of FiguresList of MapsList of TablesAcknowledgmentsNote on Terms and NamesList of AbbreviationsPolitical and Military Chronology, 1526–1711IntroductionPart I: Hungary after Mohács: A Century of Direction Seeking, 1526–16061. On the Frontier of Two Empires2. Roads from Istanbul to Vienna: The Ottomans in Hungary3. The Bumpy Road to Vienna: The Habsburgs and the Hungarians4. The Road to Istanbul: The State of King John Szapolyai and His Son5. On a Narrow Path: The Principality of Transylvania6. Society Finds Its Way7. The Economy and Its Roads to Europe8. The Search for a New Home: Ethnic and Demographic Changes9. Finding Faith: Hungary's New Religion10. Seeking a Language: A Cultural Golden Age11. Looking in Vain for a Way Out: The Long Turkish War, 1591–1606 Part II: Decay and Rejuvenation: The Janus-Faced Seventeenth Century, 1606–17111. Peace or Civil War on the Border of the Two Empires?2. New Ottoman Campaigns to Achieve an Old Goal3. The Rise of the Hungarian Estates and the Break with Vienna4. Transylvania Flourishes, Then Decays5. Militarization and Self-Administration: Changes in Society6. Economic Decline and Reorganization7. Hungarian Populations Fall—Other Ethnic Groups Rise8. The Revival of Catholicism—a Prolonged War of Religion9. Half a Century of Cultural Progress—Half a Century of Military Crisis10. A Country Liberated but Ravaged: The Long Turkish War, 1683–169911. Independence Movement and Civil War: The Rákóczi Uprising, 1703–1711GlossaryList of Rulers and Highest DignitariesSelect Bibliography (Monographs and Collected Studies)Name IndexPlace Index
£29.45
Yale University Press Street Life in Renaissance Italy
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Fabrizio Nevola's beautiful book, Street Life in Renaissance Italy, is rich in detail and imagery.”—Emily Michelson, Times Higher Education"The quality of the present work is indisputable. The book makes a valuable contribution to recent developments within the architectural and urban history of the Italian Renaissance, and to reflections upon the mechanisms that have shaped, and continue to shape, the cities we inhabit. With his ability as a storyteller, Nevola will surely engage a wide variety of readers in a fascinating discovery of street life in Renaissance Italy."—Nele De Raedt, Architectural Histories"This is a beautifully produced and original book that reassesses urban life in ‘Renaissance Italy’ from the street up. It combines material from a wide range of written sources – chronicles, letters, sermons, biographies, statute laws, fictional tales, and architectural treatises – with the visual evidence of buildings, sites, and paintings […] an attractive and valuable contribution to both social and cultural history, and will become a standard point of reference and debate for many years."—Trevor Dean, Cultural and Social History"Nevola's book is an exercise in bridging this binary, between the street as a built environment envisioned by rulers and elites, and a space given meaning through the daily movements of its residents. Formed by multiple forces, Nevola argues, the pre-modern street was the ‘key ecosystem of everyday urban living’ (p. 269). […] The book presents a convincing framework for how to study the daunting complexities of street life. […] Because of the comparative approach and critical application of theory, there is plenty for those interested in other periods and disciplines to chew on. Not only wide-ranging and thorough, the book also raises questions and ideas beyond its scope. […] There may not be a blueprint for how to write about these complex, contested urban spaces, but by committing to look at streets from multiple perspectives Nevola has set a high standard."—Charlie Tavernor, Urban History"In this ambitious book, Fabrizio Nevola explores the interaction between buildings and people in the thoroughfares of the Italian Renaissance city. Street life, like musical performance, is ephemeral and its recovery is a challenging task for the historian. […] Working within [a] theoretical framework, Nevola draws on an impressive range of sources, including documents, chronicles, reports by travellers and ambassadors, novelle, maps, paintings, prints and public inscriptions, and he animates the imagery of urban life by starting each chapter with an anecdote or an extract from a novella."—Deborah Howard, Architectural History“[Street life in Renaissance Italy] offers us a diverse and nuanced account of the complexities of street life in the Italian Renaissance city. It sets a high standard for future research into this intriguing topic.”—David P. H. Napolitano, QFIAB
£42.75
FreeLance Academy Press Flowers of Battle The Complete Martial Works of
Book SynopsisThe `Getty Manuscript’ (Il Fior di Battaglia/The Flower of Battle) by the greatest fencing-master of the late 1300s, Fiore Furlan dei Liberi, instructs the reader in the intricacies of combat. Lively illustrations of charging horses and armoured knights accompany the text; through words and pictures, the manuscript teaches a variety of fighting techniques including single combat on foot with sword, dagger and axe, and mounted combat in all its variations. Fiore’s magnum opus, The Flower of Battle, composed in 1409, is one of the oldest, most extensive and most clearly elucidated martial arts treatises from the medieval period. It is a record of a complete medieval martial tradition, and provides unique insights into the life and milieu of the professional fighting man at the birth of the Italian Renaissance. Fiore preserved his teachings in a series of illustrated manuscripts, four of which have survived to the present day. The first volume in this new five-part series (see SERIES NOTE) presents a complete translation, transcription and reproduction of the largest and most complete of those four manuscripts. It includes chapters on the life of Fiore dei Liberi, his students and patrons, arms and armour in the Getty Manuscript, duelling and chivalric culture in Italy at the close of the 14th century, a detailed analysis of the manuscripts' use of pedagogy, number and metaphor and The Flower of Battle's relationship to other medieval combat manuscripts. 190 illustrations, 90 in colour. SERIES NOTE: This is the first volume in a new five-volume series from Freelance Academy Press. Flowers of Battle is a series of lavishly illustrated hardbacks, combining full-colour facsimiles of the original manuscripts with professional, annotated translations and extensive, peer-reviewed essays. The Flowers of Battle Series Includes: Vol. I: Historical Overview and the Getty Manuscript Vol. II: Flos Duellatorum Vol. III: Florius de Arte Luctandi Vol. IV: The Pierpont-Morgan Manuscript and General Concordance Vol. V: Leaves of Battle – Fiore dei Liberi’s Martial Heirs and InfluenceTrade Review Table of ContentsPublisher’s Preface Introduction Part One: Fiore dei Liberi and His World I. Italy at the Birth of the Renaissance II. The Master and His Students III. Understanding the Master Through His Student IV. Portrait of a Renaissance Despot V. The Transformation of Chivalry in Late Medieval Italy VI. The Duel of Honor in the Time of Fiore dei Liberi VII. The Tools of War Part Two: The Art of Arms—An Analysis of the Flower of Battle I. Pedagogy and the Flower of Battle II. An Overview of Getty Ms. Ludwig XV 13 III. Numbers and Symbols in the Flower of Battle Part Three: Getty Ms. Ludwig XV 13 Facsimile, Translation, and Transcription I. Translator’s Notes II. Facsimile, Transcription, and Translation Appendices A. The Gatari Chronicle of the Galeazzo-Boucicaut Duel B. Glossary C. Bibliography
£125.61
Atlantic Books The Borgias: Power and Fortune
Book Synopsis· · A Daily Mail Book of the Week · ·The sensational story of the rise and fall of one of the most notorious families in history.____________________ 'A wickedly entertaining read' The Times____________________The Borgias have become a byword for evil. Corruption, incest, ruthlessness, avarice and vicious cruelty - all have been associated with their name. But the story of this remarkable family is far more than a tale of sensational depravities - it also marks the golden age of the Italian Renaissance and a decisive turning point in European history. From the family's Spanish roots and the papacy of Rodrigo Borgia, to the lives of his infamous offspring, Lucrezia and Cesare - the hero who dazzled Machiavelli, but also the man who befriended Leonardo da Vinci - Paul Strathern tells the captivating story of this great dynasty and the world in which they flourished.'A vivid insight into the hothouse world of papal politics in the tumultuous years before the Reformation.' Daily Telegraph'Authoritative and well-written' Wall Street JournalTrade ReviewStrathern strikes a successful balance between gorblimey Horrible Histories and the reverence due to Renaissance men. Don't be beside a pool or under a loggia in Italy this summer without a copy from which to read (luridly) aloud... This history of ruthlessness, intrigue and men broken on Fortune's Wheel is a wickedly entertaining read. * The Times *A vivid insight into the hothouse world of papal politics in the tumultuous years before theReformation. * Daily Telegraph *Authoritative and well-written... Strathern has an admirable talent for the biographical sketch, particularly of artists and writers. * Wall Street Journal *The Borgias, Mr Strathern explains, did not merely acquire their reputation through roistering and making the bureaucracy run on time. They also earned it through the ruthless elimination of their enemies - and friends... This is a book rich in such telling details. * The Economist *Strathern's latest venture into Renaissance Italy proves just as exciting as his previous histories... One of the author's great strengths has always been his ability to keep the many assorted players from confusing readers, and that holds true in his latest. Strathern's smooth narrative and comprehensive insight bring the Borgias to life. * Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) *Engaging and informative... To be immersed in this group biography is to visit a particularly exciting and consequential period in European history in all its high drama and richness of character... Outstanding * Booklist *In this accessible look behind the curtain, Strathern lays out the history of the infamous Italian clan. Strathern makes a tangled and thorny history readable. * Publishers Weekly *Highly recommended for readers interested in the drama surrounding the Borgias that spurred a number of scandalous rumors that continue to circulate today. * Library Journal (Starred Review) *Table of Contents0: Prologue: The Crowning Moment 1: Origins of a Dynasty 2: The Young Rodrigo 3: Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia Emerges in His True Colours 4: The Way to the Top 5: A New Pope in a New Era 6: 'The Scourge of God' 7: The Best of Plans... 8: A Crucial Realignment 9: A Royal Connection 10: Il Valentino's Campaign 11: Biding Time 12: The Second Romagna Campaign 13: The Borgias in excelsis 14: Cesare Strikes Out 15: Changing Fortunes 16: Cesare Survives 17: Borgia's 'Reconciliation' 18: Lucrezia in Ferrara 19: The Unforeseen 20: Desperate Fortune
£11.69
Amberley Publishing Jane Seymour: Henry VIII's True Love
Book SynopsisThe first ever biography of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife, who died in childbirth giving the king what he craved most - a son and heir. Jane Seymour is often portrayed as meek and mild and as the most successful, but one of the least significant, of Henry VIII's wives. The real Jane was a very different character, demure and submissive yet with a ruthless streak - as Anne Boleyn was being tried for treason, Jane was choosing her wedding dress. From the lowliest origins of any of Henry's wives her rise shows an ambition every bit as great as Anne's. Elizabeth Norton tells the thrilling life of a country girl from rural Wiltshire who rose to the throne of England and became the ideal Tudor woman.Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Seymours of Wolfhall: c.1508 - late 1520s Chapter 2: Carried up to Court: Late 1520s - 1529 Chapter 3: A Time of Solitude: 1529 - 1533 Chapter 4: Mistress Seymour: August 1533 - January 1535 Chapter 5: Stealing the King's Affection: January 1535 - January 1536 Chapter 6: The King's Love and Desire: January 1536 - April 1536 Chapter 7: Queen Anne Lack-Head: 1 May 1536 - 19 May 1536 Chapter 8: Bound to Obey and Serve: Summer 1536 Chapter 9: Full of Motherly Joy: Summer - Autumn 1536 Chapter 10: An Enemy of the Gospel: Autumn 1536 Chapter 11: A Pilgrimage of Grace: October 1536 - December 1536 Chapter 12: Jane the Queen: December 1536 - Spring 1537 Chapter 13: Delivered of a Son: February 1537 - 15 October 1537 Chapter 14: The Death of Queen Jane: 16 October 1537 - 13 November 1537 Chapter 15: Continued a Widower Notes Bibliography List of illustrations Index
£10.79
University of Delaware Press Ordering Customs: Ethnographic Thought in Early
Book SynopsisOrdering Customs explores how Renaissance Venetians sought to make sense of human difference in a period characterized by increasing global contact and a rapid acceleration of the circulation of information. Venice was at the center of both these developments. The book traces the emergence of a distinctive tradition of ethnographic writing that served as the basis for defining religious and cultural difference in new ways. Taylor draws on a trove of unpublished sources—diplomatic correspondence, court records, diaries, and inventories—to show that the study of customs, rituals, and ways of life not only became central in how Venetians sought to apprehend other peoples, but also had a very real impact at the level of policy, shaping how the Venetian state governed minority populations in the city and its empire. In contrast with the familiar image of ethnography as the product of overseas imperial and missionary encounters, the book points to a more complicated set of origins. Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1 The Study of Customs 2 Ambassadors as Ethnographers 3 Ethnography and the Venetian State 4 Reading Ethnography in Early Modern Venice 5 Ethnography, the City, and the Place of Religious Minorities Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index
£32.30
Unicorn Publishing Group Gilded City: Tour Medieval and Renaissance London
Book SynopsisThroughout London’s two-thousand-year history, architecture has expressed the identity of the city’s diverse communities. From Franciscan friars to merchant bankers, royal dynasties to grocers and tailors, the ideals and wealth of these groups have been reflected in magnificent buildings and public spaces. Gilded City tells the fascinating history of London through its medieval and early modern architecture, and discusses how the powers these buildings and spaces represent have shaped the capital. As well as exploring famous landmarks, smaller-scale civic gems are revealed. Over eighty photographs are included, with maps and guides of nine recommended walking tours.
£20.00
Yale University Press A Beautiful Ending
Book SynopsisAn award-winning historian’s revisionary account of the early modern world, showing how apocalyptic ideas stimulated political, religious, and intellectual transformationsTrade Review“Martin’s case that the apocalypse is the midwife of modernity seems self-evidently right to me. My main frustration is that we need a second volume, on how the apocalypse has fared since 1800.”—Alec Ryrie, Financial Times“[A] beautifully produced book. . . . Martin’s book ends beautifully as it begins, its apocalypse in the eternal now.”—Jonathan Locke Hart, Renaissance and Reformation“What does it mean to live near the end of time and await the world’s rebirth, as generations of Jews, Christians and Muslims did? A Beautiful Ending is a masterful synthesis of the prognostications of faith, knowledge, and politics on a global stage. Martin’s book illuminates one of the enduring themes that shaped the medieval and early modern world.”—Paula E. Findlen, Stanford University“In his elegantly braided analysis of the apocalyptic imagination among Christian, Muslim, and Jewish thinkers, John Jeffries Martin recasts the world-making events of the late medieval and early modern periods. A Beautiful Ending is a beautiful book.”—Alan Mikhail, author of God’s Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World“Martin’s masterful and wide-ranging study places ideas about the end of the world in their historical context, demonstrating how the apocalyptic imagination allowed historical actors to confront difficult and often frightening circumstances. Their experiences inform our own contemporary historical moment.”—Elizabeth Horodowich, New Mexico State University“A sweeping history of early modern apocalyptic and millenarian thought among Christians, Muslims, and Jews, when the end of history brought expectations of a golden age of peace. Martin provides a powerful history of the hopes and horrors produced by these apocalyptic fantasies with an eye to their continuity into our own times. Few books make early modern history more relevant to the present.”—Stuart Schwartz, Yale University“In his richly detailed new book, John Jeffries Martin advances the striking hypothesis that apocalyptic thinking not only did not go away with the advent of modernity; it was one of the key forces that gave us our modern world. If he’s right, much of what we thought we knew bears rethinking.”—Benjamin M. Friedman, author of Religion and the Rise of Capitalism “Engaging and profoundly original, A Beautiful Ending treats Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thought about End Times as a source of modernity. Martin’s deft argument convinces that the proverbial rise of modern secularism is a myth.”—Edward Muir, Northwestern University
£24.70
WW Norton & Co When Women Ruled the World: Making the
Book SynopsisSixteenth-century Europe was a time of destabilisation of age-old norms and the waging of religious wars—yet it also witnessed the remarkable flowering of a pacific culture cultivated by a cohort of extraordinary women rulers who sat on Europe’s thrones, most notably Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots and Catherine de’ Medici. Recasting the dramatic stories and complex political relationships among these four women rulers, Maureen Quilligan rewrites centuries of scholarship that sought to depict intense personal hatreds among them. Instead, showing how the queens engendered a culture of mutual respect, When Women Ruled the World focuses on the gift-giving by which they aimed to ensure female bonds of friendship and alliance. Detailing the artistic and political creativity that flourished in the pockets of peace created by these queens, Quilligan’s lavishly illustrated work offers a new perspective on the glory of the Renaissance and the women who helped to create it.
£21.59
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc The Essential Petrarch
Book SynopsisPetrarch fashioned so many different versions of himself for posterity that it is an exacting task to establish where one might start to explore. . . . Hainsworth's study meets this problem through examples of what Petrarch wrote, and does so decisively and succinctly. . . . [A] careful and unpretentious book, penetrating in its organization and treatment of its subject, gentle in its guidance of the reader, nimble and dexterous in its scholarly infrastructure—and no less profound for those qualities of lightness. The translations themselves are a delight, and are clearly the result of profound meditation and extensive experiment. . . . The Introduction and the notes to each work form a clear plexus of support for the reader, with a host of deft cross-references. --Richard Mackenny, Binghamton University, State University of New YorkTrade ReviewHainsworth's translations from the Italian are first-rate, both in terms of accuracy to the intent of the originals . . . and in terms of conveying the force of Petrarch’s imagery. The translations from the Latin read freshly and easily . . . they are sure-footed, managing to capture the mix of pride and playfulness which characterizes Petrarch's composite prose style. The notes to the individual poems are well-judged, just enough to keep the reader on track without parading off-putting erudition. --Jonathan Usher, Emeritus, University of EdinburghA judicious selection of the varied writings of the great humanist, translated from both Latin and Italian. The Introduction is admirably structured, clear, and coherent, and presents Petrarch to the reader without didacticism or oversimplification. Hainsworth has a light editorial touch. . . . All in all, a luminous portrait of the 'father of humanism'. --David Marsh, Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyTable of ContentsIntroduction: Mending a Broken Lineage: Women, Writing, Theology; Fear & Women's Writing: Choosing the Better Part; 'A Wretched Choice?': Evangelical Women & the Word; 'My God Became Flesh': Angela of Foligno Writing the Incarnation; Speaking Funk: Womanist Insights into the Lives of Syncletica & Macrina; 'A Moor of One's Own': Writing & Silence in Sara Maitland's "A Book of Silence"; With Prayer & Pen: Reading Mother E J Dabney's "What It Means to Pray Through"; Writing a Life, Writing Theology: Edith Stein in the Company of the Saints; Writing Hunger on the Body: Simone Weil's Ethic of Hunger & Eucharistic Practice; The Body, to be Eaten, to be Written: A Theological Reflection on the Act of Writing in Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's "Dictee"; Not with One Voice: The Counterpoint of Life, Diaspora, Women, Theology, & Writing; Embodying Theology: Motherhood as Metaphor/Method; Postscript: Wounded Writing / Healing Writing.
£16.19
University of Toronto Press The Stoic Origins of Erasmus Philosophy of Christ
Book SynopsisThis original and provocative engagement with Erasmus’ work argues that the Dutch humanist discovered in classical Stoicism several principles which he developed into a paradigm-shifting application of Stoicism to Christianity. Ross Dealy offers novel readings of some lesser and well-known Erasmian texts and presents a detailed discussion of the reception of Stoicism in the Renaissance. In a considered interpretation of Erasmus’ De taedio Iesu, Dealy clearly shows the two-dimensional Stoic elements in Erasmus’ thought from an early time onward. Erasmus’ genuinely philosophical disposition is evidenced in an analysis of his edition of Cicero’s De officiis. Building on stoicism Erasmus shows that Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane was not about the triumph of spirit over flesh but about the simultaneous workings of two opposite but equally essential types of value: on the one side spirit and on the other involuntary and intractableTrade Review‘This meticulous study of 16th century thinking can be dense, but the picture of Erasmus that emerges will prove worth the effort.’ -- D.A. Brown * Choice Magazine vol 55:01:2017 *"The Stoic Origins of Erasmus’ Philosophy of Christ contains many interesting ideas, which Dealy presents in an engaging way and is a welcome addition to the literature. " -- George Lazaroiu * Sixteenth Century Journal vol. 49, no. 1 2018 *"The Stoic Origins of Erasmus’ Philosophy of Christ is a challenging and thought-provoking book. It is a book that goes to the heart of the philosophical subject matter that is everywhere apparent in Erasmus’s writings, but hardly ever studied in serious ways." -- Han van Ruler, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam * Renaissance Quarterly, vol 71 4, Winter 2018 *"The Stoic Origins of Erasmus’ Philosophy of Christ makes an important contribution to Erasmus scholarship through a close reading of two of Erasmus’ early works that are rarely considered alongside one another, the De taedio Iesu and the Enchiridion, in an attempt to trace their considerable Stoic elements."v -- Kirk Essary, University of Western Australia * Erasmus Studies, vol 39 *Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations Introduction A Philosophy Beneath The Rhetoric Part I The Fifteenth-Century Background Part Ii Erasmus' Two-Dimensional Stoicism Part Iii Stoic Natural Instinct and Christ's Fear of Death, De Taedio Iesu Part Iv Larger Philosophical Issues Part V Correcting a Thousand Years of Christology Part Vi Beyond Devotionalist Assumptions Part Vii Spiritual Warfare Conclusion Bibliography Index
£60.35
Amber Books Ltd The Renaissance: The Cultural Rebirth of Europe
Book SynopsisThink of the Renaissance and you might only picture the work of fine artists such as Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Van Eyck. Or architecture could spring to mind and you might think of St Peter’s in Rome and the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Or you might consider scientists like Galileo and Copernicus. But then let’s not forget the contribution of thinkers like Machiavelli, Thomas More or Erasmus. Someone else, though, might plump for music or poets and dramatists – after all, there was Dante and Shakespeare. Because when it comes to the Renaissance, there’s an embarrassment of riches to choose from. From art to architecture, music to literature, science to medicine, political thought to religion, The Renaissance expertly guides the reader through the cultural and intellectual flowering that Europe witnessed from the 14th to the 17th centuries. Ranging from the origins of the Renaissance in medieval Florence to the Counter- Reformation, the book explains how a revival in the study in Antiquity was able to flourish across the Italian states, before spreading to Iberia and north across Europe. Nimbly moving from perspective in paintings to Copernicus’s understanding of the Universe, from Martin Luther’s challenge to the Roman Catholic Church to the foundations of modern school education, The Renaissance is a highly accessible and colourful journey along the cultural contours of Europe from the Late Middle Ages to the early modern period.Table of ContentsIntroduction 15th century Europe Some historians dispute the term ‘Renaissance’ and its dates. The Mediterranean Trade revived with the crusades. Looting of Constantinople in 1204. Influx into western Europe of Byzantine scholars and scholarly texts after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. How western Europe benefited from Arabic copies of ancient Greek texts: after the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West, much ancient Greek though was lost, or at least overlooked, in the West. Decline in feudalism. Impact of the plague on the Renaissance. Chapter One: Origins Florence – how Italian city-states, led by Florence, unencumbered by heavy Papal influence or empire, and growing rich on wool production and east-west, north-south Mediterranean trade, were well placed to leap ahead intellectually and artistically. From Florence, the Renaissance reached Venice. Medici. Banking. Chapter Two: Art and Architecture Fine Art – laws of perspective. Giotto, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli Pigments – Titian’s blue. How Venetian Mediterranean trade enabled Architecture: Brunelleschi’s Duomo in Florence, Doge’s Palace in Venice, St Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Papal patronage Northern Renaissance: Van Eyck, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Albrecht Durer, Hieronymus Bosch Chapter Three: Science and Medicine How studies in anatomy advanced figurative art Understanding blood flow in the body Copernicus. Galileo. Inquisition. Chapter Four: Exploration Wealth, advances in shipbuilding and navigation skills, as well as the pioneering zeal of some Renaissance minds, enabled travellers to sail far further by sea. Age of Discovery. The Americas. Mapmaking. Amerigo Vespucci, Christopher Columbus. Chapter Five: Literature and Music Tallis, Taverner and Byrd. Polyphony in the Netherlands. Boccaccio, Petrarch, Dante. Elizabethan and Jacobean Theatre. Shakespeare and the English stage. Chapter Six: Humanism, Political Thought and Religion Machiavelli’s The Prince. Thomas More’s Utopia. Erasmus. Martin Luther, Vasari. Bookkeeping: Luca Pacioli Chapter Seven: Legacy Bibliography Index
£16.99
HarperCollins Publishers RISE FALL OF RENAISSANCE PB
Book SynopsisThe history of Renaissance France is rich and varied.
£18.00
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Francis I
Book SynopsisThe bestselling author of Catherine de Medici returns to sixteenth-century Europe in this evocative and entertaining biography that recreates a remarkable era of French history and brings to life a great monarch—Francis I—who turned France into a great nation.Catherine de Medici’s father-in-law, King Francis of France, was the perfect Renaissance knight, the movement’s exemplar and its Gallic interpreter. An aesthete, diplomat par excellence, and contemporary of Machiavelli, Francis was the founder of modern France, whose sheer force of will and personality molded his kingdom into the first European superpower. Arguably the man who introduced the Renaissance to France, Francis was also the prototype Frenchman—a national identity was modeled on his character. So great was his stamp, that few countries even now are quite so robustly patriotic as is France. Yet as Leonie Frieda reveals, Francis did not always live up to his ideal; a man of
£22.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Lady Brewer of London
Book SynopsisAn unforgettable historical tale set in fifteenth-century England of a brilliant woman’s defiance, courage, and ingenuity—from the author of The Locksmith’s Daughter and The Chocolate Maker’s Wife.Trade Review“Richly atmospheric, romantic, and chock-full of period details, this fast-paced tale and its many plot twists and turns are likely to keep historical fiction fans riveted.” — Booklist “The daughter of a merchant flouts 15th-century English convention to start a brewery in Brooks’s illuminating epic (after The Chocolate Maker’s Wife). Brooks’s attention to historical detail instills the novel with authenticity by including many historical figures and events, while Anneke’s lively voice keeps a strong grip on the reader as she works to overcome societal prohibitions against women in business and find happiness and contentment. Brooks’s immersive page-turner does not disappoint.” — Publishers Weekly
£14.04
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Stolen Lady
Book Synopsis
£19.79
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Marvelous
Book Synopsis
£24.00
Vintage Publishing The Black Prince of Florence
Book SynopsisA spectacular, elegant, brilliant portrait of skulduggery, murder and sex in Renaissance Florence' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard, Books of the Year 1531 after years of brutal war and political intrigue, the bastard son of a Medici Duke and a half-negro' maidservant rides into Florence. Within a year, he rules the city as its Prince. Backed by the Pope and his future father-in-law the Holy Roman Emperor, the nineteen-year-old Alessandro faces down bloody family rivalry and the scheming hostility of Italy's oligarchs to reassert the Medicis' faltering grip on the turbulent city-state. Six years later, as he awaits an adulterous liaison, he will be murdered by his cousin in another man's bed.Nothing in sixteenth-century history is more astonishing' Hilary MantelTrade ReviewA spectacular, elegant, brilliant portrait of skulduggery, murder and sex in Renaissance Florence -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Evening Standard, Books of the Year *Nothing in sixteenth century history is more astonishing to our era than the career of Alessandro de’ Medici. His story, told by an exact and fluent historian, challenges our preconceptions. Catherine Fletcher’s eye for the skewering detail makes the citizens of renaissance Florence live again: courtesans and cardinals, artists and assassins -- Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf HallAstonishing … gripping and original … a compelling portrait -- Matthew Lyons * Financial Times *Packed with intrigue … Fletcher describes with cool menace the plotting and politicking that dominated Alessandro’s rule … brought splendidly to life in this excellent book -- Dan Jones * Sunday Times *A scintillating book that glisters and gleams with stabbings, poisonings, adultery and intrigue – and a startling reminder of how visceral and dangerous Renaissance Florence was. The drama of events is perfectly complemented by careful scholarship and lucid writing. This is everything a historical biography should be -- Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval EnglandIn this brilliantly written and impeccably researched biography, Catherine Fletcher brings Renaissance Florence vividly to life. The story of Alessandro de' Medici's brief and bloody ascendancy reveals the darker side of this most dazzling and cultured of cities, beset by intrigue, violence and betrayal. A stunning book. -- Tracy Borman, author of Thomas Cromwell: The untold story of Henry VIII's most faithful servantBold, breathless and full of suspense -- Daisy Dunn * The Times *A seductive, shimmering and significant retelling of a man whose rise to power was ... as unlikely as it was extraordinary -- Thomas Penn * Guardian *Engrossing … bursts with stabbings, poisonings, duels, eye-gougings, arquebus shootouts and people being run through with swords. Fletcher’s approach is scholarly yet dramatic, immersed in Renaissance glamour … a tremendous step forward in our knowledge of this intriguing man -- Alex von Tunzelmann * Spectator *More than just a forensic reconstruction of the period … Like a detective, Fletcher interrogates her witnesses … But it is among the detailed records of Alessandro’s wardrobe-keepers that she finds her treasure … These lend her narrative a sensuous vividity -- Frances Wilson * Sunday Telegraph *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Be Like the Fox Machiavellis Lifelong Quest for
Book Synopsis''A ripping read ... fascinating, charming, enjoyably unorthodox'' Daily TelegraphWas Niccolò Machiavelli really the cynical schemer of legend - or was he a profound ethical thinker, who tried to save the democratic freedom of Renaissance Florence as it was threatened by ruthless dynasties? This revelatory biography shows us a man of fox-like dissimulation: a master of disguise in dangerous times. ''A gripping portrait of a brilliant political thinker, who understood the dangers of authoritarianism and looked for ways to curb them'' The New Yorker''Compelling ... this unconventional biography questions whether the philosopher deserves his reputation as an advocate for tyranny'' Julian Baggini, Financial TimesTrade ReviewLively, compulsively readable, fluently written and unshowily erudite—Terry Eagleton, GuardianCompelling, unconventional—Julian Baggini, Financial TimesA ripping read . . . fascinating, charming, enjoyably unorthodox—Tim Smith-Laing, TelegraphA remarkable work of imaginative engagement backed by scholarly learning. . . can be read with pleasure by anyone interested in the craft of politics and the life of ideas.—Edmund Fawcett, The New York TimesEngaging, clever, entertaining . . . Benner brings to life a Machiavelli who's a man of considerable political principle . . . a creative, lively and very readable book with more than a little contemporary resonance.—Catherine Fletcher, Literary ReviewA gripping portrait of a brilliant political thinker, who understood the dangers of authoritarianism and looked for ways to curb them even though independent speech had become impossible.—The New YorkerA rich, vivid and endlessly surprising portrayal of the man and his times—Tracy Borman, BBC History MagazineErica Benner succeeds brilliantly in overturning centuries-old received views of a seminal but misunderstood writer and thinker. Her enthralling and moving evocation of Machiavelli's turbulent career, set in the milieu in which he lived, also reveals how much he is our contemporary—Rosamund BartlettTimely, dramatic . . . an eye-opening, captivating portrait. Benner succeeds at what every biographer tries to do: she brings her subject to life for her readers.—KirkusA readable and excellent book . . . In our world of new princes and divided societies, with increasing confrontations that can seem in constant danger of escalating to conflict, Be Like the Fox reads like a cautionary call from the past—General Sir Rupert SmithFascinating, remarkable . . . Erica Benner illuminates not only the life of Machiavelli but the complex and cruel political world in which he operate—Avi ShlaimVividly drawn . . . biography at its best—Times Higher Education SupplementEnjoyably revisionist . . . Benner deserves great praise for dragging this much-maligned man's reputation at least partly out of the mud—Andrew Lynch, Sunday Business PostA lively and engaging study told with empathy, passion and imagination . . . well-researched, forceful and thought-provoking—Historical Writers' Association
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Mary I Penguin Monarchs
Book SynopsisThe acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England''s rulers - now in paperbackThe elder daughter of Henry VIII, Mary I (1553-58) became England''s ruler on the unexpected death of her brother Edward VI. Her short reign is one of the great potential turning points in the country''s history. As a convinced Catholic and the wife of Philip II, king of Spain and the most powerful of all European monarchs, Mary could have completely changed her country''s orbit, making it a province of the Habsburg Empire and obedient again to Rome. These extraordinary possibilities are fully dramatized in John Edward''s superb short biography. The real Mary I has almost disappeared under the great mass of Protestant propaganda that buried her reputation during her younger sister, Elizabeth I''s reign. But what if she had succeeded?
£7.59
Penguin Books Ltd Elizabeth I Penguin Monarchs
Book Synopsis''The experience of insecurity, it turned out, would shape one of the most remarkable monarchs in England''s history'' In the popular imagination, as in her portraits, Elizabeth I is the image of monarchical power. But this image is as much armour as a reflection of the truth. In this illuminating account of England''s iconic queen, Helen Castor reveals her reign as shaped by a profound and enduring insecurity that was a matter of both practical politics and personal psychology.Trade ReviewA triumph of history -- Janet Nelson * Guardian *
£8.54
Penguin Putnam Inc The Sultan and the Queen The Untold Story of
Book SynopsisThe fascinating story of Queen Elizabeth’s secret outreach to the Muslim world, which set England on the path to empire, by The New York Times bestselling author of A History of the World in Twelve MapsWe think of England as a great power whose empire once stretched from India to the Americas, but when Elizabeth Tudor was crowned Queen, it was just a tiny and rebellious Protestant island on the fringes of Europe, confronting the combined power of the papacy and of Catholic Spain. Broke and under siege, the young queen sought to build new alliances with the great powers of the Muslim world. She sent an emissary to the Shah of Iran, wooed the king of Morocco, and entered into an unprecedented alliance with the Ottoman Sultan Murad III, with whom she shared a lively correspondence. The Sultan and the Queen tells the riveting and largely unknown story of the traders and adventurers who first went East to seek their fort
£15.30
Oxford University Press Venices Secret Service
Book SynopsisVenice''s Secret Service is the untold and arresting story of the world''s earliest centrally-organised state intelligence service. Long before the inception of SIS and the CIA, in the period of the Renaissance, the Republic of Venice had masterminded a remarkable centrally-organised state intelligence organisation that played a pivotal role in the defence of the Venetian empire. Housed in the imposing Doge''s Palace and under the direction of the Council of Ten, the notorious governmental committee that acted as Venice''s spy chiefs, this ''proto-modern'' organisation served prominent intelligence functions including operations (intelligence and covert action), analysis, cryptography and steganography, cryptanalysis, and even the development of lethal substances. Official informants and amateur spies were shipped across Europe, Anatolia, and Northern Africa, conducting Venice''s stealthy intelligence operations. Revealing a plethora of secrets, their keepers, and their seekers, Venice''s Secret Service explores the social and managerial processes that enabled their existence and that furnished the foundation for an extraordinary intelligence organisation created by one of the early modern world''s most cosmopolitan states.Trade ReviewThis book includes many of the kinds of stories one hopes to find in a history of espionage: state-ordered poisonings; letter interceptions and invisible ink ... This is an intriguing twist on recent works. * Rosa Salzberg, Jahrbuch für Kommunikationsgeschichte *I found much to admire in this work, and I expect I will find myself returning to it repeatedly. Iordanou has done a great service to the field in parsing the complexity of the Venetian intelligence system. * Eric R. Dursteler, Journal of Modern History *This is a book that will fascinate anyone interested in intelligence services, the history of information management, the development of cryptography, or the history of Venice. * Professor Tom Wilson, Information Research *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Venice and Venetian Intelligence in the European Panorama 2: State Secrecy, a Venetian Virtue 3: Renaissance Venice's Intelligence Organisation 4: Venice's Department of Cryptology 5: Venice's Secret Agents 6: Extraordinary Measures Epilogue: Venice's Secret Service: An Evaluation
£38.47
Oxford University Press Inc Beatrices Last Smile
Book SynopsisA grand and sweeping narrative of the history of the Middle Ages from the fourth to the sixteenth centuries, encompassing the Eurasian landmass from North Africa to the Asian Steppes and Western Europe. Mark Gregory Pegg sheds light on how Christianity and Islam evolved out of a shared cultural and religious ferment, and what this dynamic exchange meant for the development of the West.Table of ContentsChapter I: "Our God and your God is One, and to Him we submit" (312-632) Chapter II: "It was as if the whole world were shaking itself free" (632-1099) Chapter III: "I drink from the wounds of Christ" (1099-1348) Chapter IV: "Only death breaks the sleep and wakes us from dreaming" (1348-1564) Chapter V: "A holy land full of devils" (1431-1632)
£26.21
The University of Chicago Press Shakespeare Dwelling Designs for the Theater of
Book SynopsisGreat halls and hovels, dove-houses and sheepcotes, mountain cells and seaside sheltersthese are some of the spaces in which Shakespearean characters gather to dwell, and to test their connections with one another and their worlds. Julia Reinhard Lupton enters Shakespeare's dwelling places in search of insights into the most fundamental human problems. Focusing on five works (Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Pericles, Cymbeline, and The Winter's Tale), Lupton remakes the concept of dwelling by drawing on a variety of sources, including modern design theory, Renaissance treatises on husbandry and housekeeping, and the philosophies of Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger. The resulting synthesis not only offers a new entry point into the contemporary study of environments; it also shows how Shakespeare's works help us continue to make sense of our primal creaturely need for shelter.
£76.00
University of Chicago Press The Indies of the Setting Sun How Early Modern
Book SynopsisPadrón reveals the evolution of Spain's imagining of the New World as a space in continuity with Asia. Narratives of Europe's westward expansion often tell of how the Americas came to be known as a distinct landmass, separate from Asia and uniquely positioned as new ground ripe for transatlantic colonialism. But this geographic vision of the Americas was not shared by all Europeans. While some imperialists imagined North and Central America as undiscovered land, the Spanish pushed to define the New World as part of a larger and eminently flexible geography that they called las Indias, and that by right, belonged to the Crown of Castile and León. Las Indias included all of the New World as well as East and Southeast Asia, although Spain's understanding of the relationship between the two areas changed as the realities of the Pacific Rim came into sharper focus. At first, the Spanish insisted that North and Central America were an extension of the continent of Asia. Eventually, they came to understand East and Southeast Asia as a transpacific extension of their empire in America called las Indias del poniente, or the Indies of the Setting Sun. The Indies of the Setting Sun charts the Spanish vision of a transpacific imperial expanse, beginning with Balboa's discovery of the South Sea and ending almost a hundred years later with Spain's final push for control of the Pacific. Padrón traces a series of attemptsboth cartographic and discursiveto map the space from Mexico to Malacca, revealing the geopolitical imaginations at play in the quest for control of the New World and Asia.Trade Review"It should be essential reading for anyone seeking a fresh approach to understanding Spain’s imperial ambitions during the Age of Discovery." * The Portolan *"Columbus thought that Cuba was an appendage of Asia, and, though it may surprise readers, it would be more than a century before more accurate accounts of the Pacific Ocean and the distinctions between the landforms of Asia and North America emerged. Padrón relays this story with comprehensive knowledge and a skillful interpretation of cartographic and narrative sources, which often rationalized Spanish imperial aims to show that the Spanish Empire had Asian components thanks to the world-encompassing meridian line that divided Spanish and Portuguese zones for exploitation. . . . This highly recommended book clarifies the history of seemingly naïve but at times politically useful sets of flawed assumptions." * CHOICE *"This is a salutary book. . . . it is immensely valuable in making us see how sixteenth-century Spaniards conceptually framed the Americas, the Pacific and beyond; it literally takes us into another world." * The Globe: Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Map Society *"Historian Ricardo Padrón’s The Indies of the Setting Sun: How Early Modern Spain Mapped the Far East as the Transpacific West attempts to understand how, in discursive and visual terms, the Spanish crown sought to project its geopolitical and historical influence in the world from the sixteenth century forward. . . . The book is a valuable contribution not only because of its rigorous and intelligent interpretations, but also because it invites us to think about two major issues. First, it shows that territories such as the Americas were not 'invented' once and for all but were revised and reinvented over time and from different places and communities. Second, the book reminds us that we must decenter our gaze from the battles of conquest and pay attention instead to the voyages and ways of understanding vast spaces such as the oceans that were key in politically configuring our modern experience of the globe." * Terrae Incognitae *"In The Indies of the Setting Sun, Ricardo Padrón explores the spatial imaginaries of elite Spaniards in the period bookended by Balboa’s “discovery” of the Pacific Ocean in 1513 in present- day Panama and the 1606 Spanish conquest of the Moluccas. " * Early American Literature *"With this work, Padrón demonstrates that the Pacific has been a fundamental issue in the invention of America, a process that, as he firmly asserts, 'has been repeatedly revised and reinvented over the course of the years, and has meant different things at different times in different discursive communities.' Padrón encourages readers to view the geopolitical imagination of Habsburg Spain in a different light and to rethink the possibilities offered by new approaches to consider the Pacific not as marginal, but as a central location of the Spanish empire." * Bulletin of the Comediantes *"The Indies of the Setting Sun is an original and thoughtful study of the ‘invention’ and subsequent reinventions of the Pacific Ocean as part of the Spanish empire. Padrón brings to this project the same lucid, elegant prose and methodology that characterized his earlier monograph, and again he provides an argument supported by a careful study of sources employing the best historical approaches, closely contextualized reading, and an expansive definition of cartography. This is a much needed intervention, highlighting the importance of Spanish Asia in the history of Spanish imperial expansion." -- María M. Portuondo, author of The Spanish Disquiet: The Biblical Natural Philosophy of Benito Arias Montano"The Indies of the Setting Sun examines the way that Spanish knowledge about the South Sea—now known as the Pacific Ocean—was developed. Challenging the historical idea that Magellan's circumnavigation had established Europeans' understanding of the Americas as divided from Asia by the vast Pacific, Padrón reveals an 'alternative European cartography' that persisted across the sixteenth century. In this odd parallel universe, America was merely the forecourt to Asia, and the South Sea was a small basin within the larger Indies, then Spain's overseas empire. This is the first book I've ever read that colors the larger 'Indies' so vividly." -- Barbara Mundy, author of The Death of Aztec Tenochtitlan, the Life of Mexico City"The author’s aim. . . is ambitious but the reader will not be disappointed. Padrón, in fact, leads his audience on a real journey through time, dismantling many commonplaces and prejudices about the modern perception of the way the world has been thought of and represented on maps at the dawn of modernity. The author breaks the patterns in the way we think about historical cartography between rigid categories of ‘right and wrong’, ‘precise and approximate’. Instead, Padrón highlights a complex historical process in which different cultural and political theories competed with each other in a dialectic that shaped our way of understanding geography. . . . Ricardo Padrón’s book: The Indies of the Setting Sun should be welcomed as a useful and much needed book. . . . I believe that today, in an era of redefinition of the balance between global powers with enormous interests in the Pacific area, this book is of great usefulness and relevance." * Rutter Project *"A nuanced reading of Spanish cartographic literature about the Pacific region in the sixteenth century. . . . The book’s central strength is in its analytical acuity, which dredges up tensions, contradictions, ironies and ambivalence from multivalent cartographic and written texts." * Imago Mundi *Table of ContentsList of Figures Introduction 1 The Map behind the Curtain 2 South Sea Dreams 3 Pacific Nightmares 4 Shipwrecked Ambitions 5 Pacific Conquests 6 The Location of China 7 The Kingdom of the Setting Sun 8 The Anxieties of a Paper Empire Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Works Cited Index
£46.18
The University of Chicago Press Becoming a New Self Practices of Belief in Early
Book SynopsisIn Becoming a New Self, Moshe Sluhovsky examines the diffusion of spiritual practices among lay Catholics in early modern Europe. By offering a close examination of early modern Catholic penitential and meditative techniques, Sluhovsky makes the case that these practices promoted the idea of achieving a new self through the knowing of oneself. Practices such as the examination of conscience, general confession, and spiritual exercises, which until the 1400s had been restricted to monastic elites, breached the walls of monasteries in the period that followed. Thanks in large part to Franciscans and Jesuits, lay urban elitesboth men and womengained access to spiritual practices whose goal was to enhance belief and create new selves. Using Michel Foucault's writing on the hermeneutics of the self, and the French philosopher's intuition that the early modern period was a moment of transition in the configurations of the self, Sluhovsky offers a broad panorama of spiritual and devotional
£37.80
The University of Chicago Press The Endless Periphery
Book Synopsis
£50.40
The University of Chicago Press Shakespeare Dwelling Designs for the Theater of
Book SynopsisGreat halls and hovels, dove-houses and sheepcotes, mountain cells and seaside sheltersthese are some of the spaces in which Shakespearean characters gather to dwell, and to test their connections with one another and their worlds. Julia Reinhard Lupton enters Shakespeare's dwelling places in search of insights into the most fundamental human problems. Focusing on five works (Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Pericles, Cymbeline, and The Winter's Tale), Lupton remakes the concept of dwelling by drawing on a variety of sources, including modern design theory, Renaissance treatises on husbandry and housekeeping, and the philosophies of Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger. The resulting synthesis not only offers a new entry point into the contemporary study of environments; it also shows how Shakespeare's works help us continue to make sense of our primal creaturely need for shelter.
£22.80
The University of Chicago Press Old Thiess a Livonian Werewolf
Book SynopsisIn 1691, a Livonian peasant known as Old Thiess boldly announced before a district court that he was a werewolf. Yet far from being a diabolical monster, he insisted, he was one of the hounds of God, fierce guardians who battled sorcerers, witches, and even Satan to protect the fields, flocks, and humanitya baffling claim that attracted the notice of the judges then and still commands attention from historians today. In this book, eminent scholars Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln offer a uniquely comparative look at the trial and startling testimony of Old Thiess. They present the first English translation of the trial transcript, in which the man's own voice can be heard, before turning to subsequent analyses of the event, which range from efforts to connect Old Thiess to shamanistic practices to the argument that he was reacting against cruel stereotypes of the Livonian werewolf a Germanic elite used to justify their rule over the Baltic peasantry. As Ginzburg and Lincoln debate t
£22.80
The University of Chicago Press Both from the Ears and Mind
Book SynopsisTrade Review“If anyone in England from 1500 to 1700 has written about music, Austern has read it. Both from the Ears and Mind is a magnum opus that draws together twenty-five years of research and publication. No existing scholarship on ideas about music in early modern England has the range and the depth of Austern’s. Musicology scholars will find in Austern a resource that will challenge and complicate received ideas about early modern tonality, harmony, rhythm, and performance.” -- Bruce Smith, University of Southern California“Having undertaken a comprehensive survey of many and often little-known sources in manuscript and print, Austern has created an unequaled storehouse of ideas about music that circulated in early modern England. Her fascinating book practically overflows its covers with discourses of music’s powers and effects, notably on the self and society, that reveal how this elusive topic lay virtually at the heart of the early modern English intellectual enterprise. Austern vividly portrays how, at a time of rapid religious and social change, urgent debates about music’s role in worship were conducted even while music itself served as both a civilizing and disrupting influence on society. This book makes a major contribution to the expanding field of sound studies and to sensory history more generally.” -- Penelope Gouk, University of Manchester“Both from the Ears and Mind is a marvelously valuable and stimulating guide to the many ways in which early modern thinkers contemplated music. It traces the importance of music through all areas of intellectual endeavor and draws upon an immense range of contemporary writings. No other analysis of this material is so encyclopedic, sophisticated, and deeply learned. Austern’s book deserves to be read by everyone with an interest in music of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.” -- Christopher Marsh, Queens University Belfast"The mental, experiential and musical landscapes of human beings in the 16th and 17th centuries were different from ours. Austern’s latest book is an ambitious attempt to map out that territory in detail." * BBC Music Magazine *“The impact of Linda Phyllis Austern's Both from the Ears and Mind: Thinking about Music in Early Modern England will be felt well beyond the field of musicology. Both from the Ears and Mind is perhaps the most explicit and thorough monograph-length analysis of early modern English thought about music to date. . . . Austern shows us not only why music is absolutely indispensable to an understanding of late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century intellectual life, but also why the discourse about music at this time is more meaningful than often assumed.” * Journal of British Studies *"Linda Phyllis Austern’s latest contribution to early modern studies is wide-ranging, extremely learned, and illuminating to those interested in the history of ideas in general and the history of ideas about music in particular... Austern’s book is filled with knowledge distilled and clarified. She has digested and made comprehensible many of the most important ideas from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, from humoral theory to cosmology, and shown how music is at the heart of them." * Seventeenth-Century News *"Austern’s densely packed, highly learned study is an excellent guide to the various ways that our predecessors grappled with music’s slippery and mysterious powers on body and soul. . . . Both from the Ears and Mind provides a rich array of material that will undoubtedly foster much new research on early modern English musical culture." * Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music *"With its wide-ranging scope and multidisciplinary approach, this book should become essential reading for musicologists, historians, and indeed anyone who wants to further their understanding of the complex relationship between 'actual' music as performed and listened to and ideas about music that are held in a given society, including, but not limited to, early modern England." * Revue de Musicologie *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Praise, Blame, and Persuasion: “Of Musicke by Way of Disputation” Praise and Dispraise (of Music): Discourse, Dialectic, Disputation Knowledge of Music “by Witt and Understanding” Reading as Creative Process: Toward “Places of Invention” Constructing Arguments Materials for Discourse 2. Debating Godly Music: Sober and Lawful Christian Use “Musica, serva Dei”: (Textual) Places for God’s Handmaid Music to the Praise and Glory of God: “A Methodicall Gathering Together of Authorities” Anxieties of Aurality and Homonymies of Love Codetta: The Prosecution Rests 3. Harmony, Number, and Proportion Art and Science Abstracted from Bodies Between Sense and Intellect: Music as Conceptual Tool “The Worlds Musicke” “A Simbolisme between the Elements”: (Re)appropriation across Domains “Profound Contemplation of Secret Things”: Magic, Occult Doctrines, and Music Hidden Harmonies of Earth and Heaven: Alchemy and Astrology “Divine Consent”: Holy Matrimony as Harmony 4. To Please the Ear and Satisfy the Mind Explaining Musical Experience Sound, Soul, and Sense To Captivate the Mind: Music and Interior Process 5. “Comfortable . . . in Sicknes and in Health”: Music to Temper Self and Surroundings Music and Medicine Music “to Preserve the Health” Music and the Humors: Balancing the Self Beyond Black Bile: Sorrow, Grief, and Musical Remediation Acknowledgments Notes Selected Bibliography Index
£43.20
The University of Chicago Press Courts Jurisdictions and Law in John Milton and
Book SynopsisJohn Milton is widely known as the poet of liberty and freedom. But his commitment to justice has been often overlooked. As Alison A. Chapman shows, Milton's many prose works are saturated in legal ways of thinking, and he also actively shifts between citing Roman, common, and ecclesiastical law to best suit his purpose in any given text. This book provides literary scholars with a working knowledge of the multiple, jostling, real-world legal systems in conflict in seventeenth-century England and brings to light Milton's use of the various legal systems and vocabularies of the timenatural versus positive law, for exampleand the differences between them. Surveying Milton's early pamphlets, divorce tracts, late political tracts, and major prose works in comparison with the writings and cases of some of Milton's contemporariesincluding George Herbert, John Donne, Ben Jonson, and John BunyanChapman reveals the variety and nuance in Milton's juridical toolkit and his subtle use of competing legal traditions in pursuit of justice. Trade Review"Chapman has written an excellent book, a fit companion for her award-winning Legal Epic. Courts, Jurisdictions, and Law is engaging and informative, economically expressed without sacrificing clarity or detail, and everywhere displaying expert knowledge of early modern law and of Milton’s body of work. With her twin studies, Chapman has secured a place at the fore of recent scholarship on early modern literature and law." * Modern Philology *"Alison Chapman’s Courts, Jurisdictions, and Law in John Milton and His Contemporaries. . . represents a crucial addition to not only Milton studies but to seventeenth-century legal studies in England." * Comitatus *“[An] outstanding new monograph… Chapman’s book proves beyond reasonable doubt that legal issues played an enduring part in Milton’s thinking, and gives a detailed sense of how they did so. It is clearly written and well-informed on a complex subject. The book will be valuable to Miltonists, and to scholars working at the intersection of early modern law and literature.” * Review of English Studies *“Chapman’s new book, Courts, Jurisdictions, and Law in John Milton and His Contemporaries, extends her prior examinations and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how Milton approached the existing patchwork of English legal systems.” * New Rambler Review *"Well suited to an intersectional field of law and literature that places questions of race, gender and religion at its center." * Seventeenth-Century News *“Chapman’s work is both highly original and exceptionally readable, bringing together imaginative engagement with legal language, convincing arguments, and refreshingly forthright responses to other scholars. She presents unfamiliar legal matters in lucid, sometimes witty prose and cautions her readers against importing modern assumptions into early modern English literature. Students and scholars of Milton will benefit enormously from her carefully developed contextualization of Milton’s assumptions regarding jurisprudential fields, specific legal terms, and his own rhetorical practices.” -- Mary Nyquist, University of Toronto“With careful attention to legal language, Chapman pulls at the tensions between libel and defamation, convincingly showing Milton’s continued interest in such questions. These are valuable new readings that explain several apparent tensions, and they show that Milton’s legal orientation can account for many of the most oddly vituperative moments in his prose. This is a very welcome addition to Milton studies.” -- Christopher Warren, Carnegie Mellon University"Chapman considers the multiple, jostling, real-world legal systems in conflict in seventeenth-century England and brings to light the poet John Milton’s use of the various legal systems and vocabularies of the time... Chapman highlights the variety and nuance in Milton’s juridical toolkit and his subtle use of competing legal traditions in pursuit of justice." * Law & Social Inquiry *"[This book] is not only an education in early modern law and in Miltonic rhetoric but also, in its acute exposition of the legalistic, if not authoritarian, bias of the great republican, Puritan, and libertarian, one of the best recent critical studies of Milton." * Milton Quarterly *Table of ContentsA Note on Texts List of Abbreviations Preface: Making Sense of Many Laws Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Defending One’s Good Name: Free Speech in the Early Prose Chapter 3: Monstrous Books: Areopagitica and the Problem of Libel Chapter 4: Civil Law and Equity in the Divorce Tracts Chapter 5: Defending Pro Se Defensio Chapter 6: The Tithes of War: Paying God Back in Paradise Lost Chapter 7: “Justice in Thir Own Hands”: Local Courts in the Late Prose Afterword: Justice in the Columbia Manuscript Acknowledgments Bibliography Index
£87.40
