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The Florentines
From Dante to Galileo
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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,032 ratings, 127 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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See moreA sweeping 400-year history of the Florentines who gave birth to the Renaissance, by the author of The Medici and The Borgias.
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Description
Between the birth of Dante in 1265 and the death of Galileo in 1642, something happened which completely revolutionised Western civilisation. 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.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Florentines by Paul Strathern is praised for its engaging re-examination of Renaissance Florentine artists, scientists, and business leaders. The book is noted for its enjoyable prose filled with colourful anecdotes and vivid biographical sketches. Reviewers commend the detailed research and Strathern's ability to interconnect the city's social, political, and cultural spheres with art and finance. The work is recognised for offering a fresh perspective that brings the Renaissance period into sharper focus, making it highly recommended for readers interested in the era and Italian history.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781786498748
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 07 April 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Atlantic Books
Edition: Main
Illustration: 2x8pp colour plates
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 27.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 373g
Pages: 384
About the Author
Paul Strathern studied philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin. He is a Somerset Maugham Award-winning novelist; author of two series of books - Philosophers in 90 Minutes and The Big Idea: Scientists who Changed the World - and several works of non-fiction, including The Medici, The Artist, the Philosopher and the Warrior, Spirit of Venice, Death in Florence and The Borgias.
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The Borgias
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Dark Brilliance
Between the end of the Renaissance and the start of the Enlightenment, Europe lived through an era known as the Age of Reason. This was a period which saw advances in areas such as art, science, philosophy, political theory, and economics. However, all this was achieved against a background of extreme turbulence in the form of internal conflicts and international...Paperback$4500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Ten Cities that Led the World
'A book of ideas [...] Strathern ably guides us through these moments of glory.' -- The Times * Great cities are complex, chaotic and colossal. These are cities that dominate the world stage and define eras; where ideas flourish, revolutions are born and history is made. Through ten unique cities, from the founding of ancient capitals to buzzing modern megacities,...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Tuesday -
The Other Renaissance
It is generally accepted that the European Renaissance began in Italy. However, a historical transformation of similar magnitude also took place in northern Europe at the same time. This Other Renaissance was initially centred on the city of Bruges in Flanders (modern Belgium), but its influence was soon being felt in France, the German states, England, and even in Italy...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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Rise and Fall
Rise and Fall opens with the Akkadian Empire, which ruled over a vast expanse of the region of ancient Mesopotamia, then turns to the immense Roman Empire, where we trace back our western and eastern roots. Next, Strathern describes how a great deal of Western classical culture was developed in the Abbasid and Umayyid Caliphates. Then, while Europe was beginning...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Tuesday -
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A sweeping history of the Age of Reason, which shows how, although it was a time of progress in many areas, it was also an era of brutality and intolerance, by the author of The Borgias and The Florentines. During the 1600s, between the end of the Renaissance and the start of the Enlightenment, Europe lived through an era known...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
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