The Age of Shakespeare  •  Francois Laroque CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1993 •  PAPER  • 175 PAGES A volume in the outstanding "Discoveries" series, this pocket-size encyclopedia is an excellent introduction to Elizabethan England. It presents Shakespeare, his life, times and legacy in concise essays and hundreds of well-chosen illustrations. (GBR11, $12.95)
The Agony and the Ecstasy, A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo  •  Irving Stone LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 776 PAGES An overheated, page-turning fictionalized account of the life of master painter and sculptor Michelangelo -- and a good introduction to Renaissance Florence and Rome. (ITL150, $16.00)
Architecture in Italy 1500-1600  •  Wolfgang Lotz  •  Deborah Howard ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 205 PAGES A classic, comprehensive introduction to 16th-century Italian architecture. In this highly readable book, Lotz discusses the work of Renaissance architects including Bramante, Giulio Roman, Michelangelo and Palladio. Originally published in 1974 as part two of "Architecture in Italy, 1400-1600." With hundreds of color photographs and site plans, the book is an excellent companion for visitors to Venice, Florence or Rome. (ITL247, $40.00)
The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance  •  Peter Murray ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A classic, informative guide to Renaissance architecture throughout Italy, with black-and-white photographs and site plans. Beginning with the 14th century, Murray surveys major works and influences through the Italian Renaissance up to the 17th century. Ideal for travelers to Italy with an interest in architecture. (ITL34, $20.40)
Art and Life in Renaissance Venice  •  Patricia Brown ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES With a strong focus on art, the author evokes the guilds, nobility and spirit of the Renaissance in her discussion of painting, sculpture and architecture. With 120 full-color illustrations. A volume in the Prentice Hall Perspectives series. Also in this same series is "Renaissance Florence." Second edition. (ITL57, $24.95)
The Art of Renaissance Rome, 1400-1600  •  Loren Partridge ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 184 PAGES A prolific writer of the Italian Renaissance, Loren describes the art and architecture of Renaissance Rome, including villas, palaces, frescoes, sculptures, and fountains. In addition, he includes histories of artist and royal families, maps, chronologies, and biographical dictionaries to further enhance the lavish illustrations and informative text. A volume in the Prentice Hall Perspectives series. (ITL212, $24.95)
The Art of the Renaissance  •  Peter Murray ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 286 PAGES A brief, illustrated survey of the world of the Renaissance and its art, complete with illustrations. This fine book puts the flowering of art and culture that began in Florence in 1420 in its historical context. With 251 well-integrated illustrations, 51 in color. Organized geographically and thematically, it includes chapters on Florence and its artists, the Netherlands, early illustrated books, and many individual artists. (ITL14, $18.95)
As You Like It  •  Paul Werstine  •  Barbara Mowat  •  William Shakespeare LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Part of the New Folger Library Shakespeare Series, Shakespeare's full text with a scene by scene prose summary and critical analysis. (TTR06, $3.99)
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini  •  Benvenuto Cellini  •  George Bull BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 465 PAGES A fascinating glimpse at a man and an era, this translation of the autobiography of the Renaissance goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini not only documents his fascinating life, but evokes the figures and society of 16th century Italy. (ITL172, $15.00)
The Book of the Courtier  •  Baldasar Castiglione HISTORY •  1976 •  PAPER Castiglione's classic book of etiquette, told through a set of examples which portray the ideal Renaissance man and woman. Written between 1513-1518, this provocative treatise was inspired by a series of conversations among a group of aristocrats at the court of Urbino in 1507. Its central theme includes the nature of graceful behaviour, especially the impression of effortlessness, or "sprezzatura." (ITL238, $13.95)
Bruegel  •  Walter S. Gibson ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES The consummate painter of peasant life was no less sophisticated than his 16th-century contemporaries, says Walter S. Gibson in this illustrated biography of Bruegel. A volume in the excellent "World of Art" series, Gibson's book dispels the myth of Bruegel the simpleton artist and replaces it with a portrait of a man who understood the needs of his patrons. With many black-and-white and color reproductions of the paintings. (NTH41, $14.95)
Brunelleschi's Dome, How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture  •  Ross King ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 194 PAGES Designed in 1420 by Filippo Brunelleschi, the dome in Florence's cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the great architectural feats. In this eminently readable book, Ross King tells the story of the design and construction of the dome, a tale rife with politics, cut-throat competition and mighty inspiration. (ITL410, $15.00)
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy  •  Jacob Burckhardt  •  S. G. C. Middlemore  •  Peter Gay HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 401 PAGES While focusing on the flowering of art and culture in Renaissance Italy, Burckhardt maintains a keen interest in the nature of civilization itself in this Victorian classic -- originally published in this translation in 1878. He covers state, art, society, religion, morality, philosophy and other topics of universal interest. In a new Modern Library edition. (ITL307, $15.95)
Disease, Medicine and Society in England, 1550-1860  •  Roy Porter HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 78 PAGES A social history of England that examines the repercussions of disease before the development of modern public health care. A distinguished authority on the history of medicine, Porter uses recent research to make a strong contribution to both English and medical studies in this extended essay. (GBR112, $26.99)
The Divine Comedy  •  Dante Alighieri  •  Charles H. Sisson LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 771 PAGES In this classic -- possibly the most famous and important literary achievement of medieval Western civilization -- Dante molds a universe in which reason and faith shape social order. A clear, blank verse translation of the 14th-century work. (ITL310, $17.95)
Eyewitness Renaissance  •  Alison Cole ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An illustrated encyclopedia of the Renaissance for readers ages 9-12, covering sculpture, painting, and architecture. It includes chapters on Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Boticelli and other well known figures of the time. Each color image is accompanied by an extended caption. Middle schoolers will especially like all the naked people portrayed in the art of Italian Renaissance. (ITL239, $19.99)
Florentine Renaissance Sculpture  •  Charles Avery ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 274 PAGES An overview of the Renaissance sculpture of Florence, well written and handsomely illustrated. Avery, a director of Christies and former curator at Victoria and Albert, has written a number of books on Bernini and other Italian sculptors of the period. (ITL134, $22.95)
Gardner's Art Through the Ages, Renaissance and Modern Art  •  Fred S. Kleiner  •  Helen Gardner  •  Horst De la Croix  •  Richard G. Tansey ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 624 PAGES A classic college text, now in its 10th edition. (GEN214, $68.00)
History of Italian Renaissance Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture  •  David G. Wilkins  •  Frederick Hartt ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 699 PAGES A comprehensive history of Italian art from the 13th through the 16th centuries, long the standard reference on the flowering of art in the Renaissance. David Wilkins thoroughly revised this sixth edition, broadening the scope of the book and adding many new color plates, including details of the Sistine Chapel frescoes. (ITL308, $117.40)
The House of Medici, Its Rise and Fall  •  Christopher Hibbert HISTORY •  1982 •  PAPER  • 364 PAGES This is a great book to read before going to Florence, where the influence of the Medicis and the artists they supported is still very much in evidence. It's a history of the powerful Florentine family by the entertaining and informative Christopher Hibbert. He evokes the Medici and their reign over Florence in the 1500's, and the political intrigue and violence of those times. (ITL135, $16.00)
Inventing Leonardo  •  A. Richard Turner BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1994 •  PAPER  • 268 PAGES Turner, a leading art historian of the Renaissance, offers a lively appraisal of the controversial genius. It's an elegant and stimulating book. (ITL79, $22.95)
The Italian Renaissance Reader  •  Julia Conway and Peter Bondanella  •  Mark Musa ANTHOLOGY •  1987 •  PAPER Introducing artists and thinkers of the Renaissance, this collection includes selections by Francesca Petrarca, Giovanni Boccacio, Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Benvenuto Cellini. (ITL218, $17.00)
Leonardo da Vinci  •  Kenneth Clark BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1993 •  PAPER With 128 well integrated plates and a useful chronology, this authoritative and informative book has become the standard introduction to da Vinci and his work. (ITL78, $21.95)
The Lives of the Artists, Vol 1  •  Giorgio Vasari  •  Julia Conway and Peter Bondanella BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1987 •  PAPER  • 477 PAGES Vasari offers short biographies of the art and lives of his Renaissance contemporaries in this classic and much-discussed book written in the mid-16th century. He focuses on painters both great and lesser-known, including Giotto, Michelangelo, Titian and others. This edition includes parts one, two and three of the huge original work. (ITL17, $14.00)
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling  •  Ross King ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A captivating chronicle of the world's most famous frescoes, Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Featuring a corrupt and maniacal pope, an artist unsure of his abilities and a "who's who" of 16th-century Italians (Raphael, Machiavelli, da Vinci), this is the stuff of great fiction, and it's all true. Ross King, author of "Brunelleshi's Dome," presents the story with flair and a wealth of research. (ITL464, $16.00)
The Mirror of the Artist, Northern Renaissance Art in Its Historical Context  •  Craig Harbison ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES A concise survey of German, Dutch and Flemish art of the 16th and 17th centuries. The author, an art historian, illuminates the important themes of the period, including realism, patronage, guilds, religious ideals, specialties and travels to Italy. With 121 illustrations, including 104 plates in full color. A volume in the Prentice Hall Perspectives series. (NTH43, $24.95)
Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy, A Primer in the Social History of Pictorial Style  •  Michael Baxandall ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 183 PAGES A slim introduction to Renaissance art and representation with color illustrations throughout. First published in 1972, it's an influential overview of not only how to look at art -- but how the original 15th-century audience may have seen the paintings of the period. Braxandall explores contemporary sermons, dancing manuals, and mathematical treatises, original contracts and other source materials to understand the context in which the paintings were conceived. Among the artists he discusses are Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Stefano di Giovanni, Sandro Botticelli, Masaccio, Luca Signorelli, and Boccaccio. (ITL236, $19.95)
Palladio and Palladianism  •  Robert Tavernor ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES A well illustrated guide to the work of Andrea Palladio, the 16th century Venetian architect, and his followers. Along with a good introduction to Venice and Palladio's magnificent palaces and villas, it traces his influence on Inigo Jones, Lord Burlington and Christopher Wren in England, as well as Thomas Jefferson. With 163 illustrations (ITL25, $16.95)
The Perfect House, A Journey with Renaissance Master Andrew Palladio  •  Witold Rybczynski ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Rybczynski considers 17 villas designed by Palladio in this appreciate account of the pleasures of travel and architecture. A professor of urban studies and popular author, he's an enlightening guide to Palladio, his history and influence. (ITL590, $15.00)
Queen Elizabeth I  •  J.E. Neale BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1992 •  PAPER  • 424 PAGES This classic biography, which has received both scholarly and popular acclaim, covers every aspect of the life and rule of this strong-minded, independent woman in an age of masculine power. (GBR76, $16.95)
Renaissance Florence, The Invention of a New Art  •  A. Richard Turner ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES Taking as his cue the great art and famous monuments of Florence, Turner explores the cultural and social history of the city. It's an art and architecture oriented guide with abundant color illustrations. A volume in the Prentice Hall Perspectives series. Second edition. (ITL50, $24.95)
The Renaissance in Rome  •  Charles L. Stinger HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 472 PAGES During the Renaissance, Rome was transformed from a relative backwater to a cultural, religious, and political center of power. This is a comprehensive portrait of early 15th century Rome, well written and scholarly. It puts the remarkable art and architecture of the time into its cultural context. With maps, illustrations, chronology of Renaissance Popes and the usual scholarly apparatus. (ITL133, $21.95)
Renaissance Philosophy of Man, Petrarca, Valla, Ficino, Pico, Pomponazzi, Vives  •  Ernst Cassirer  •  Paul Oskar Kristeller  •  John H. Randall HISTORY •  1956 •  PAPER (ITL237, $20.00)
The Renaissance, A Short History  •  Paul Johnson HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 196 PAGES The history, background, literature, sculpture, paintings and architecture of the Renaissance in under 200 lively, thought-provoking pages. A volume in the excellent Modern Library chronicles series. (ITL774, $12.95)
The Renaissance, A Very Short Introduction  •  Jerry Brotton HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES Brotton deftly sketches the upheavals in art, architecture and society in Europe between 1400 and 1600 in this brief primer. (ITL845, $11.95)
Richard III  •  Paul Werstine  •  Barbara Mowat  •  William Shakespeare LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 369 PAGES A volume in the New Folger Library Shakespeare Series, this edition of Richard III features annotations and critical analysis. (TTR07, $4.99)
Romola  •  George Eliot LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 641 PAGES No light read, this historical novel features Macchiavelli and Savanarola among its pantheon of characters. At its heart are Romola -- the questing daughter of a Florentine atheist -- and her villainous husband Tito. George Eliot was ever a novelist of ideas, and in this farthest-flung of her books she considers matters of religion, politics and science as they played out in Florence after the expulsion of the Medici. It's a convincing portrait of a complicated age. (ITL318, $14.00)
Shakespeare  •  David Bevington BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A biography structured around "The Seven Ages of Man" speech from "As You Like It." Shakespeare Scholar David Bevington examines the enduring popularity of the Bard's writing, while using each life stage as a lens from which to analyze his works. (TTR04, $19.95)
Shakespeare's English Kings, History, Chronicle and Drama  •  Peter Saccio CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A history and guide to the English kings depicted in the plays of Shakespeare, including the Richards, Henrys and Edwards. The text is designed to elucidate the how the details of the monarch's lives influenced the Bard's works. (TTR09, $19.95)
Spain 1469-1714, A Society of Conflict  •  Henry Kamen HISTORY •  1991 •  PAPER  • 307 PAGES A comprehensive survey of the Golden Age of imperial Spain, geared for students. This vivid history shows how Spain debated the unification of the country, the conquest of America, the wars in the Netherlands, the role of the Inquisition, the expulsion of the Moors, and the last days of the Habsburg regime. With the usual scholarly paraphernalia, a few maps and no illustrations. (SPN69, $68.40)
Spain and Its World, 1500-1700  •  John H. Elliott HISTORY •  1990 •  PAPER  • 316 PAGES A wide-ranging overview of Spain by the pre-eminent historian of the Imperial Age of Spain. The 12 scholarly essays in this collection are arranged thematically. They're beautifully written. (SPN48, $35.00)
The Stones of Florence  •  Mary McCarthy ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 230 PAGES The classic history of the art, architecture and culture of Florence. Beginning with meditations on present-day Florence, novelist McCarthy takes us on a quick and vivid tour of the history of the Medicis and the city of Florence, focusing on Renaissance art. Originally published in 1956, partly in the New Yorker. (ITL15, $14.00)
A World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, Portrait of an Age  •  William Manchester HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 322 PAGES In this wide-ranging study, Manchester evokes in vivid detail the great figures and daily life of the 16th century, with information on Henry VIII, Magellan, Borgia, da Vinci and Martin Luther. This is his 18th book and Manchester knows how to tell a great story. It's divided into three sections: Renaissance, Reformation and Discovery. (EUR06, $15.99)
Worldly Goods, A New History of the Renaissance  •  Lisa Jardine HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 470 PAGES Historian Lisa Jardine presents a new slant on the history of the Renaissance. She views the Renaissance as an age made possible by the economic boom of the time. Her arguments are well founded and compelling, making this nicely illustrated book quite readable. (ITL173, $19.95)
Young Shakespeare  •  Russell Fraser BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1992 •  PAPER  • 247 PAGES (TTR05, $23.00)