The Italian Renaissance: A Definitive History of the Arts, Sciences, and Unforgettable Personalities That Shaped the West (American Heritage Library Series)

"The Italian Renaissance" is an excellen beginning study of a vast subject and time period. This book is of medium length and is easily read and comprehended. It provides a reader with a very good foundation for an appreciation of this time period on the Italian peninsula. It also forms an excellent basis for further study. As I did French do, I read both the Kindle version while simultaneously listening to the audiobook. They are both excellent. There was some extra expense, but I am glad I did both. After the fall of Rome and the end of The Roman Empire in 476, the history of the Italian peninsula become chaotic for centuries. The author does a very good job of describing this particular period in a rather concise format. In reality, an entire library could be written, and has been written on this time period. Speaking for myself, I felt my personal knowledge of both Italian history, as well as European history was somewhere between below adequate and abysmal. Have been trying to correct that. As such I have read numerous books on Italian history and feel this book is of very high quality for what it is, an overview. I have used this book as a platform from which to make a leap to a literal and figurative marriage between Italian history and the history of France. I am now embarking upon a biography of Catherine de Medici by Leonie Frieda which is also quite excellent. This biography of one person is more lengthy than this fine work under review. In summary I am very glad to have read "The Italian Renaissance" and recommend it both standing on its own or as a basis for further study. Thank You...

This is an general overview, adroitly penned by the main author and also several other historians. The renaissance was an explosion of knowledge and cultural development that still exerts a strong influence on the modern worldview. The authors roving summary shifts quickly from scene to scene and person to person, without dwelling overly long on any particular story. At times I wish he had expanded more on certain details and subplots; his writing whets the appetite. The overall effect is something of a jumble however, a mist, an impression of an age- that is enjoyably spiced with sordid anecdote and amusing turn of phrase. The second part of the book consists of brief biographies of important figures of the renaissance, very well written by different specialists in their topic. This to me contains some of the most enjoyable historical writing you could wish for, that really brings these people and the era they lived in back to life.

There are moments of excellent and mesmerizing phrases from various authors in the book, but most of the history is of vague importance unless a reader is thoroughly drawn to the subject.

This is a great book for anyone with an interest in the Italian Renaissance. The book is divided into 2 parts, the first part being a general historical account, moving over subjects such as the arts, the princes, and so on, while the second part is a series of biographical portraits of important characters of the Italian Renaissance (written by various authors). The book is easy to read, easy to follow, packed with information, and I highly recommend it.

I have the Kindle version of this work. This is a compilation of several authors dissertations. The first segments were almost textbook dry works about different cities & regions in Italy during the "Renaissance" period, I actually set the book aside for a couple of weeks to digest what was being taught. The remaining portions were much better, easier to read and comprehend, being about artists and others who held influence during the age. I would have enjoyed having illustrations of the artworks being discussed, having to stop and go find the pieces detracts from the flow of the book. All thi, ther being said, I do recommend this work, there's just a lot of stuff here!

The book is not the work of one author, but many. Mr. Plumb chose wisely when he chose authors of each chapter. In some, even most respects, The Renaissance WAS Italy as much as Italy was The Renaissance. My notes, when I download them, will look like Cliff Notes for an exam.

The Renaissance was a wonderful time for artists and scholars and a terrible time for ordinary Italian citizens. Paradoxically it was marked by an unparalleled flowering of art and scholarship, but also by petty wars and feuds conducted by ruthless princes and bloodthirsty condottieri. Histories of the Renaissance tend to focus on the arts, and this book was no exception, although it also profiled some of the outstanding leaders and statesmen of Renaissance Italy. The Renaissance can rightly be said to be the beginning of modernity, and like most beginnings it is characterized by a certain exuberance and innocence, in contrast to the ominous grimness of the current modern era. The glory of Rome has long since perished, but the brilliant works of the Renaissance are still with us, a testimony that cultural achievements are more lasting than military and political achievements.

I love historical narratives, but this one is a bit long winded and dry for my taste. The facts are there, but you have to work sometimes through the drawn out prose to derive them and piece them together. This book was first published in the '60s and written by a Cambridge professor, and comes across as such. It makes a lot of assumptions about what you already understand of the Renaissance. In doing so it sometimes comes across as one academic talking to his peers. If you are well versed in Renaissance facts and players then this book may be a great supplement for you. If you are simply trying to learn more about that time and have relevant explanations of who's who, then you could get buried fairly easily in this book.