Renaissance Books

This magnificent book displays the best of the art history AND history being written today. Gabrielle Langdon's years of research and writing have paid off in a study that offers new evidence about one of the most significant periods of Florentine history (the sixteenth century) and about one of its most fabled dynasties, the Medici. She furnishes well-researched accounts of the major artists working in Florence at the time, and she demonstrates a breath-taking command of the ample theoretical material on topics such as iconography, artistic restoration, gender studies, and issues of race in history.
Langdon has been instrumental in uncovering the importance of Alessandro de' Medici and his progeny for Florentine history, as his brief reign as Duke of Florence has not been scrutinized sufficiently by modern historians. Alessandro's African (or "moorish") ancestry is a crucial aspect of Langdon's study, and it is refreshing to see this topic dealt with in a sensitive manner. Together with some forthcoming research by Professor John Brackett on Alessandro, we will soon have a better picture of a complex, violent, and crucial phase of European history.
A final comment: Langdon is a scrupulous researcher, whose copious notes demonstrate her command of the literature of this period, but she is also a gracious scholar, who pays tribute to the work of others and presents differences of opinion in an even-handed and non-acrimonious manner.
This is one of the best books I have read in the last ten years.

Even if you have read other books on Renaissance painting you are bound to lean a lot by reading this one. This is a very academic overview of the paintings of Medici women in Florence during the reign of Cosimo 1st. The centrepiece portraits are those done by Bronzino with the portrait of Duchess Eleonora and her son Giovanni given a whole chapter to itself.

The author brings an impressive depth of scholarship to this book - and outlines the social and intellectual expectations that are encoded within these somewhat seemingly simple portraits. There are layers of meaning in these paintings - even the most simple looking - that would have been read by contemporary viewers but have been lost to modern viewers as society has changed.

Half this book is references and the author has extensively footnoted her sources. These a selection of colour images at the front of the book of the central portraits discussed and sections of black and white images of other portraits that are used on a comparison basis. This is not a picture book as such, but you'll learn a lot by reading it and the paintings in the colour section will quite literally come alive for you after you have read their subjects backgrounds and meanings painted within them. This book is highly recommended if you want an in-depth understanding of Florentine women's portraits in the 16th century, but it will be a disappointment if you are looking for a large selection of colour images of Medici women.

This is a very thorough account of the practice of medicine in the Middle Ages. It covers most key points such as humors, blood-letting, women healers, hospitals, the role of religion in medicine, the taboos regarding medicine and other topics. It is greatly documented for further research and I recommend it highly to anyone interested in the topic, especially that it is written in a rather approachable and enjoyable fashion. It is a great starting point for research on medieval medicine, medieval social standards, and medieval everyday life.

Siraisi, a leading scholar in the history of medicine, has been generous by writing this c. 200 page survey of medieval medicine in the west. What stands out about the book is her interaction with academic medicine--such as her treatment on medical education and early ventures in anatomy, and her recognition of the importance of Islamic medicine and scholarship for European medicine in the middle ages and renaissance.

The author treats surgery, pathology, anatomy, physiology, and many other subfields of learning and practice. She interacts with the Christian worldview and religious understandings of sickness and health, albeit from a standpoint of elitist medical practitioners. As an expert on Galen, her treatment of his impact in medieval Europe is worth the price alone.

For an introduction to medical education and the innovators in medicine (without being just another "Garrison"), this book is recommended.

Written in 1848-9, this book contains some of the most important manuscripts on the arts, like the MANOSCRITTO BOLOGNESE, HERACLIUS BOOK, MANUSCRIPT OF JEHANN LE BEGUE, ecc.. Each manuscript is in its original language together with the english translation. The introduction by M.P.Merrifield is still very interesting.

Written in 1848-9, this book contains some of the most important manuscripts on the arts, like the MANOSCRITTO BOLOGNESE, HERACLIUS BOOK, MANUSCRIPT OF JEHANN LE BEGUE, ecc.. Each manuscript is in its original language together with the english translation. The introduction by M.P.Merrifield is still very interesting.

This is a very nice addition to the very hard to find medieval repertoire. All the known instrumental pieces of music are in this book. I have some reserve on some rythmic choices made by the author. Nevertheless, this is a must have book for any medieval music lover.

I'm no scholar, just an ameteur musician and early music enthusiast. I love this book. The tunes are set in easy to play keys and notated much more sensibly than other arrangments I've seen. His endnotes are also pretty good, of course more information and commentary on each piece is always welcome. The sprial binding also makes it easy to use and perform from.

AFTER MEETING THE AUTHOR, I RECOMMENDED THIS BOOK TO MY GOOD FRIEND. SHE HAD SOME AGE RELEVANT ISSUES. SHE CAME BACK WITH RAVE REVIEWS ON THE SUBJECT MATTER, THE IDEAS & THE KNOWLEDGE IMPARTED IN THIS BOOK. MOST IMPORTANTLY SHE FOUND EFFECTIVE METHODS OF SELF EMPOWERMENT & SELF IMPROVEMENT. I BELIEVE THIS BOOK TO BE A MUST READ FOR FOR EVERY WOMAN.

As a patient of Dr. Leonetti's, I found the book to be a true reflection of her, her beliefs and ideas. This book does not just talk about menopause, it talks about life and how to make the most of yours through good health and good attitudes. It also makes it clear that it is never too late to correct poor choices one has made. A must read for women and men can learn much from it as well.

I actually bought two copies of this book; one for myself and one for my teenage cousin who is a budding sculptor.

Needless to say we were both immensely pleased.

Its not a "text-heavy" book but it does contain enough information to make you feel informed. The quality of the images is spectacular and the details of the iconic and slightly lesser known sculptures have really helped him develop his technique.

Whether for educational application or casual perusal this book excels.

Don't let the price deceive, this is one of the best books of photographic reproductions available documenting M's sculpture. I originally purchased this in 2000 when I was in Rome, and I couldn't find it anywhere else. I wanted to give some copies to friends, and I had to order then from Italy, but now anyone can have this book; and you should buy it. Enclosed are beautiful, full page prints, and many macros from interesting angles; so close you can see the chisel marks! The works photographed:

Battle of Centaurs
Madonna of the Steps
Bacchus
La Pieta
David
Bruges Madonna
St. Matthew
Moses
The figures of the Medici Chapel
Slaves and captives
Brutus
Palestrina Pieta
Rondanini Pieta

Indeed friends this is a most excellent book. The translation is great, easy to read, down to earth and fluent. There are many places that one could start with the Pensees, but this is certainly not a mistake. Pascal was and is a certified genius, study his work and gain valuable insight into the story of man and the life of faith and the role of reason. "Mind on Fire" is a good place to start.

"The Mind on Fire" is predominantly a modern translation and editing of Blaise Pascal's "Pensees" along with a few other short works and a sampling of his letters. It is quite user-friendly and a good place to start when reading Pascal.

Before actually reading "Pensees," I knew Blaise Pascal and his "Pensees" only from snippets of quotes such as, "The heart has its reason of which reason knows nothing" and from "Pascal's Wager": better to risk believing in God and living with Him for all eternity and being wrong, then risk not believing in God and living apart from Him in all eternity and because you were wrong.

Having read him, I know now that the quote and wager just mentoned, though only snippets, do summarize his brilliance and his beauty. Like few others, Pascal fuses head and heart in his defense of Christianity. His ability is likely due to his brilliant mind that on November 23, 1654, from 10:30 PM to 12:30 AM encountered God in a mysterious, mystical experience that he could only describe with the one-word epitaph: "Fire."

For the rest of his brief life (he died at age 39), the fire in his soul and the genius of his mind merged in the "writing" of "Pensees." I place "writing" in quotation marks because Pascal's early death never allowed him to finish "Pensees." What we have is akin to his outline (though 325 pages in length!). Imagine if he had actually finished it. Pascal, ever the absent-minded professor, would have a thought run through his mind, write it down, cut it in a strip, and splice it in with other similar subject headings.

It's helpful to understand this before reading "Pensee" for what you find is brilliant disorder--an incomplete sentence here, half a thought there, then long and insightful paragraphs here. In other words, you do need to wade through the unusual design of the book, but in the wading you will find oceans of depth that flood both your heart and your head with passion and reason to love and know God.

Pascal's "real world" arguments for God are the most rationally and personally compelling ones that I have ever read. Pascal honestly faces the reality that we see God only in part and that by evidence alone, whether of reason or nature or both, we might just as well conclude that there is no God (the atheists), or that He is not loving, or not powerful, or that He is disinterested (Deism), or dispassionate (the Greek philosophers). He then explains that God reveals enough in nature to cause us to perceive His existence and to perceive that we are finite and fallen. Nature, according to Pascal, points more to the Mediator--Christ--the One who reveals the hidden God as a God of holiness and love, and the One who reveals us as God's prodigal children who need to come home.

Reviewer: Dr. Robert W. Kellemen is the author of "Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," and the forthcoming "Sacred Companions: A History of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

I love this volume! It has an amazing variety of virtuoso calligraphy combined with marvelous illuminations of fruits, flowers,and small creatures. It's a sampler of everything a very imaginative calligrapher could put on a page. The text is interesting and informative. It was a good buy!

This is an excellent reproduction of an exquisite manuscript produced during the last phases of the hand-written, hand-illuminated book. The introductory texts are concerned primarily with the history of the two artists responsible for the creation of this work, with some space devoted to its provenence and patron. The majority of pages are, of course, devoted to the plates themselves; no words can do justice to the art displayed therein. Commentary on the plates is mostly limited to identification of the various flora and fauna displayed on the pages

This book focuses on Florentine fashion c1540-1580 during the period when Eleonora of Toledo was Duchess of the city. Its inspiration is obviously the iconic portrait of her and her son Giovanni painted by Bronzino in 1545.

The book is full of rare gorgeous colour illustrations on high quality art paper. It starts out with a biography of Eleonara and then discusses her style. Then the book discusses individual garments she is known to have owned and surviving examples, including an extraordinary red velvet gown in the Pisa Mueso di Plazzo Reale. The book rounds off with a list of the garments recorded in Elenora's wardrobe accounts.

This book, published in both Italian and English, should be on the shopping list for anyone interested in Renaissance costume. Its one of those books you pick up and go "wow" and it's a visual feast on the eyes that is fully illustrated in colour.

The Cultural World of Eleonora di Toledo: Duchess of Florence and Siena

Bronzino's Chapel of Eleonora in the Palazzo Vecchio (California Studies in the History of Art)

Patterns of Fashion: The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women C1560-1620

There is very little written about Florentine fashion from the 16th Century. This book fills that gap admirably. It has gorgeous color pictures, many of which are published here for the first time. With full descriptions and a glossary of terms make this the perfect book for historians and lovers of historical costume alike. The text is in English and Italian (side-by-side on the same page) so it is easy to see the Italian terms and how they translate into English.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I am delighted to see Amazon carries it!

MCRS is the most comprehensive textbook in print (as of 2006) that teaches 16th century counterpoint in terms of species. (The Jeppesen counterpoint book also deals with species, but has only c.f. exercises, and is not organized in a student-friendly way.) Schubert's music examples are drawn primarily from Renaissance music treatises rather than repertoire, in order to illustrate the various species; the relatively small number of repertoire examples includes more French chansons than excerpts from Palestrina or Lassus. There are considerably more exercises and assignments--from preparatory "warmups" through analyses and error detections to c.f. fragments and complete cf's--than can be covered in a 15- week course. Canon and invertible counterpoint are recurring topics. My students found the organization of "hard" and "soft" rules helpful. The exercises can be time-consuming, so teachers considering adopting this book as a course text should allow ample time to go through it in advance to decide which exercises to use and to actually write out their solutions.

Peter Schubert is on the faculty of McGill University. As a first-time teacher of species counterpoint I am impressed by this book's organization, clarity of explanation and vast quantity of practice exercises. For the sake of the beginner student fine nuances of style are skipped, especially in the early chapters, in favor of a thorough grounding in rules, divided into "hard" and "soft" categories. The former are regarded as unyielding benchmarks of correctness, while the latter have to do more with stylistic ease and euphony. The sheer quantity of rules may overwhelm some students; careful explanation by the instructor is necessary to avoid glazed-over eyes and discouragement. At least in my edition there is as yet no attempt to put some of the examples and exercises in audio form, as do many theory texts today. I also think answer keys for some of the shorter exercises would make this book even more useful, though of course such things tempt some students to peek.

Still, the organization of the material and the obvious expertise of the author make this textbook a most impressive entry in the music theory teaching sweepstakes.