Customer Reviews (1)

Indispensable, but a little stodgy
This is, as far as I can discover, the only one-volume History of the Jews of Italy in English, and that makes its nearly 600 pages an indispensable mine of information for the non-specialist.Considering that until 1859 Italy was, in Metternich's phrase, only a geographical expression, Roth had a formidabletask, since the history of each Italian state, and often the history of each municipality, is different, sometimes radically so as far as the treatment of the Jews is concerned. All the same, I think the book could have been better organized.There is little attempt to keep the chronology as clear as possible;dates of rulers and popes are often missing;a knowledge of non-Jewish history, especially during the medieval period, is often taken for granted;the names of more or less distinguished Italian Jews is often little more than a catalogue;and there seem to be some contradictions, as when Roth within a few pages both describes atrocious mob behaviour against the Jews and also talks about the Italians of the time being a basically friendly people.

However, what does emerge is the extreme uncertainty of Jewish life in Italy for many centuries:so often they were expelled from a city or principality, recalled a few years later, and then expelled again;harsh legislation against them was passedbut was often not enforced or even abandoned, only to be reintroduced and implemented in full at a later stage.The vileness of prejudice, malice, cruelty and greed defaces even the glory days of what we think of as Italian culture and civilization - the Renaissance and the Baroque.
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This volume centres on one of the most dramatic periods of Italian History: 1900-1945. It examines the crisis of the liberal state as it undergoes a process of significant transformation, which starts with a process of modernisation and leads to the totalitarian fascist state. Lyttelton and his international team discuss the social and moral conflicts resulting from modernisation, the two world wars and the fascist regime, considering the issues from both national and international standpoints. The discussion includes the developments and impact of the changes on religion, literature, and the visual arts. ... Read more

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When we think of the Italian Mafia, we think of Marlon Brando, Tony Soprano, and the Corleones& mdash;iconic actors and characters who give shady dealings a mythical pop presence. Yet these sensational depictions take us only so far. The true story of the Mafia reveals both an organization and mindset dedicated to the preservation of tradition. It is no accident that the rise of the Mafia coincided with the unification of Italy and the influx of immigrants into America. The Mafia means more than a horse head under the sheets& mdash;it functions as an alternative to the state, providing its own social and political justice.

Combining a nuanced history with a unique counternarrative concerning stereotypes of the immigrant, Salvatore Lupo, a leading historian of modern Italy and a major authority on its criminal history, has written the definitive account of the Sicilian Mafia from 1860 to the present. Consulting rare archival sources, he traces the web of associations, both illicit and legitimate, that have defined Cosa Nostra during its various incarnations. He focuses on several crucial periods of transition: the Italian unification of 1860 to 1861, the murder of noted politician Notarbartolo, fascist repression of the Mafia, the Allied invasion of 1943, social conflicts after each world war, and the major murders and trials of the 1980s.

Lupo identifies the internal cultural codes that define the Mafia and places these codes within the context of social groups and communities. He also challenges the belief that the Mafia has grown more ruthless in recent decades. Rather than representing a shift from "honorable" crime to immoral drug trafficking and violence, Lupo argues the terroristic activities of the modern Mafia signify a new desire for visibility and a distinct break from the state. Where these pursuits will take the family adds a fascinating coda to Lupo's work.

Customer Reviews (4)

The Mafia, its origins and future
Caution, this is not a wing ding tale of the Mafia in action. It is a rather scholarly (and often dense) history of this well known and simultanesouly little known criminal enterprise. JDP

Sociological History for Academic Specialists
A professor of contemporary Italian history at the University of Palermo, Salvatore Lupo wrote "La Storia della Mafia" for other specialists in Italian history and sociology. "The History of the Mafia," translated by Anthony Shugaar, carries over from the original the assumption that the reader shares the author's depth of knowledge of of 19th and 20th century Sicilian politics and sociology. The legibility of Lupo's narrative of incidents suffers from jumping backwards and forwards in chronology to make excursions to related topics before returning to the subject at hand. It is also unfortunate that Lupo wrote the book in dense academic Italian, a dialect that can mystify even educated Italians. An example, as translated:

"If we accept the notion that the depiction of southern Italian anthropology offered here is credible, we should then attempt to distinguish the phenomenon from its context by investigating the way the Mafia organization appropriates cultural codes, instrumentalizes them, modifies them, and turns them into an adhesive to ensure that they remain intact." (p. 11)

So, we should distinguish the Mafia from Sicilian culture by looking at how the Mafia turns cultural codes into an adhesive that holds cultural codes intact? That sludge doesn't make sense as a metaphor, but it is all too characteristic of Lupo's prose. Lupo heightens the effect by extensive quotations from Italian Government reports that add a bureaucratic tone to the work.

Now for the strong points. The book would be an excellent starting point for researching the history of the Italian mafia. It provides outstanding sourcing (36 pages of notes for 275 pages of prose) and a good index. Columbia University Press deserves commendation for producing a physically attractive volume, with particularly legible typeface. In sum, "History of the Mafia" is a better research aid than a narrative history.

History of the Mafia
If you are looking for a sensational,titillating account of Mafia activities, full of gore and sleazy details, then avoid this book completely. It is a very scholarly and rational examination of the Mafia's origins and its development into a multinational corporate entity. Those who think of the Mafia as some kind of criminal relic of Sicilian feudalism are likely to have their preconceptions shattered as this book calmly and methodically delineates the interconnections between the Mafia, the Italian Capitalist Establishment and the Italian governing classes. A most fascinating read!

Just OK
This book is just OK.It is more of a sociological study than a history.This book is more of a supplement to other history books.Read the others first.Then, if you want to know more of the sociological aspects of this topic, you can read this book.I was hoping that it would have additional information on some of the key moments in Cosa Nostra's history, other than those that are already known.In that respect, it was a big disappointment.It did give me a better view as to how the events tranpired.It also is a hard read.Be prepared to think.Be prepared to look for more information. ... Read more

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Numbers and Nationhood explores the rise of statistics as a mode of representation in Italian society during the nineteenth century. Silvana Patriarca examines the ideologies that informed numerical productions, and the role that statistics played in generating a national image of Italy that nevertheless accentuated its internal territorial divisions. This innovative study provides a fresh reading of the historiography of Risorgimento Italy, bringing issues of science, ideology and representation to the fore. ... Read more

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Children ages 8 through 12 enjoy a guided tour of Italy, with Italian landmarks, culture, history, foods, and much more. The text is in English, but many of the illustrations are bilingual--and the last six pages present an introduction to Italian words and phrases. (Grades 3-7) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

italy and italian
A very basic book suitable for 3-6 year olds, with color pictures, some language, and basic demographic info. in an easy to digest format. Some how, I expected more detail. The book did not hold my 6 year old's interest for more than a couple of minutes.

Excellent juvenile reference book!
After my 1st grade daughter received her first "research" assignment, we searched through Books-A-Million, WaldenBooks, and Borders, and finally came across this series.Wonderfully written, colorful andfull of great information!I am buying the other 3 titles in this seriesfor her library (Spain, Germany and France).Barron's would be foolish ifthey didn't attempt to expand on this series with other titles; it could beeasily sold to many schools that are truly interested in valuable education

A terrific resource for primary grade students.
This is a very attractive and informative book.My second grade students found it easy to use to find information about the culture and geography of Italy.I really like the format with subtitles for Famous Places, Famous People and Facts about Italy. ... Read more

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This book treats such topics as the structure of archaic Roman society; social changes from the beginning of Roman expansion to the Second Punic War; slave uprisings and other conflicts in the society of the Late Republic; the social system of the early Empire; the crisis of the Roman Empire; and late Roman society to the fall of the Empire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Synthèse du monde romain indispensable
Cet ouvrage se veut la synthèse de l'histoire sociale de Rome.Il examine les institutions à travers les groupes sociaux.Pour une recherche historique sur le monde romain, ce document est extrêmement utile. ... Read more

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The new editions of Access to History combine all the strengths of this well-loved series with a new design and features that allow all students access to the content and study skills needed to achieve exam success. The third edition of Italy: Liberalism and Fascism 1870-1945 has been revised to reflect the needs of the current specifications. The new edition starts by examining the weakness of Liberal Italy and how the First World War increased its problems, before going on to analysing and explaining the rise of Fascism and Mussolini's subsequent consolidation of power. It also includes detailed chapters on life in Fascist Italy, its economy, politcal system and foreign policy before concluding with an examination of why Mussolini's regime collapsed in 1943. Throughout the book, key dates, terms and issues are highlighted, and historical interpretations of key debates are outlined. Summary diagrams are included to consolidate knowledge and understanding of the period, and exam style questions and tips for each examination board provide the opportunity to develop exam skills. ... Read more

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By blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction, diplomats and travelers, English nation and Italian nation, historian Maura O'Connor shows how imagination, pleasure, and politics are interwoven in her story of the English middle-class fascination with Italy from the early 1800s through the 1860s. ... Read more

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History of the Lombards, by Paul the Deacon (c. 720-c. 799), is among the most important and oldest accounts of the Germanic nation. The book preserves many ancient myths and popular traditions and draws from sources that are now lost. The history traces the changing fortunes of the Lombards, the last of the migratory Germanic peoples to enter the western part of the old Roman Empire, from their first appearance in the West in the sixth century to the middle of the eighth century. The popularity of Paul the Deacon's book has endured over the centuries and, although there have been numerous translations and editions, this remains the only one in English.

Customer Reviews (3)

One of a Kind
I'm researching the story of the Lombards and, as is so often the case when dealing with the Early Middle Ages, there are few contemporary sources of information. This renders invaluable Paul the Deacon's account of the invasion of Northern Italy by Germanic tribes such as the Lombards. Though writing two-hundred years after the victory of the Lombard King Alboin and the resulting years of Lombard rule (568-744), Paul the Deacon not only supplies valuable factual information, but charms with his style.I would suggest taking the writer of the Introduction seriously when he warns that part of Paul's history is the result of traditional recounting of events two centuries before he began to write.Also, I found it helpful to scan the footnotes of each chapter before reading the text.This allowed me gain insight into the mind of Paul the Deacon himself.Here was a man who lived in dangerous times, his brother a man of power significant enough to challenge that of Charlemagne himself.His fate was always open to the whims and actions of others, yet he wrote as if he was his own man, perhaps escaping happily into his own world, one in which he could openly be himself.It's a terrific read even if you're not searching for facts.

Low rating for this edition of the book
My rating is specifically for this publication of the work, not the work itself.I hope this doesn't come off as too picky - but I had a hard time really absorbing this work because of the font selected and the way the footnotes are organized.Some of the footnotes ran several pages long - taking up the entire page.The commentary was interesting, but often 3-5 pages would go by with only one line of the original text per page (literally!!!); the remainder of the page being taken up with commentary, some of which was rather tangential to the text.I found it very difficult to follow the main narrative.

Regarding the text itself, I need to read it again to be able to comment fairly - read the remainder with a grain of salt.The book is written somewhat in the fashion of a chronicle - largely a chronological list of which dukes ruled where and when.Frequent interruptions by the Franks and Byzantium make life interesting for the Lombards.The book covers a period of a few hundred years, and you don't get the amount of detail or characterization you get from say Gregory of Tours.The focus is what you'd expect from a churchman - comings and goings of kings, dukes, and bishops.

I read this book because I heard it gave some insight into the transition of Italy from the Roman to the German/Western/Post-Roman world.But I didn't find too much on that score.That might be partly due to wrong expectations, partly due to my inexperience with the book, but I think it's partly due to the fact that a lot of the insight comes from analysis of latin technical (legal) terms, which is way over my head.

In summary, I enjoyed the book enough to want to read it again, but not unless I can find a different publication of the book, one more friendly to the reader.Or even a different translation, if one were to surface.

short comment
The only English translation from a US senator, a century old. Inlcudes the origo gentis longobardum an 2 other short documents, some cuts in theshort ones ... Read more

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With stylistic brilliance and historical imagination, the first five books of Livy's monumental history of Rome record events from the foundation of Rome through the history of the seven kings, the establishment of the Republic and its internal struggles, up to Rome's recovery after the fierce Gallic invasion of the fourth century bc. Livy vividly depicts the great characters, legends, and tales, including the story of Romulus and Remus. Reprinting Robert Ogilvie's lucid 1971 introduction, this highly regarded edition now boasts a new preface, examining the text in light of recent Livy scholarship, informative maps, bibliography, and an index.

Translated by Aubrey de S&eacutelincourt with an introduction by Robert Ogilvie. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

The study of history is the best medicine for a sick mind
My title comes from Livy's opening page and it speaks to what I think is the essential point that one has to think about when deciding whether or not to read Livy. And, by the way, I think that is a serious question. Even in a long life, there are only so many books you can read. To start on Livy in the Penguin Classics edition is to start a reading project of well over two thousand pages.
The answer to the question is dependent on what you are looking for. If you are looking to a well-researched history of early Rome then this volume of Livy (which covers Rome from its founding in the sixth century B.C.E. to 390 BC)is not for you. I recommend T.J. Cornell's The Beginnings of Rome instead.
My point is that Livy is not writing history as we know it. In his introduction, Livy makes it clear that he is trying to hold up to the watered-down Romans of his day the distant mirror of the Romans of the past. He is trying to remind his compatriots of the greatness that was Rome.
What he writes in this volume is a sort of national hagiography. He does so by telling small sequential stories that have moral climaxes usually in a great speech by one of the Romans, speeches that we can only regard as having been totally made up and which share many tropes with the speeches in Homer among other writers.
We apparently have few of the sources that Livy used in his history. Unless I am mistaken, he was largely dependent on the annalistic historical tradition. This accounts for many features of his history- not least the annual listing of who served in what office, what were the auguries that occured during that year and what fantastic omens occurred.
So, in effect, what we have in Livy could be considered a historical novel with few clear lines as to when the novel ends and the history begins. I would guess that the later volumes are founded on more solid history (as we define it) but I reserve judgment on that until I read those later volumes.
But here is the thing. Livy wrote a really good historical novel if such it is. He tells the stories of Aeneus, of Romulus and Remus, of the Tarquins, of the rape of the Sabines, the rape of Lucretia, the battle of the Horatii and the Curiatii, of the fall of the kings, the creation of the consuls, the struggles of the plebians(yeah!) and the patricians(boo!), the creation of the tribunate,and the creation of the military tribunes. We are guidedthrough the almost annual depradations by the dastardly Volscians or the pesky Aequian on through the destruction of Veii and then the sacking of Rome by the Gauls. We come to realize that during this period Rome never started the trouble with the neighbors. It is one of Livy's more obvious moral lessons that the one time that they did start the trouble, the city was sacked. We learn of wonderful, complicated figures such as Marcus Furius Camillus or Coriolanus.
The final argument I will make for a reading of Livy in this brief space is that he serves as an entry point to understanding so many other people and events in later history. For example, our Founding Fathers (no such men exist these days!)felt that the history contained in writers like Livy and Plutarch provided the knowledge needed for understanding government and the world of politics. These writers influenced our history directly. Read the debates at the Constitutional Convention. There is much reference within Madison's Notes to what he learned in Livy among other writers.
Another example- Machiavelli wrote his Discourses as a commentary on Livy. Arguably he changed the history of political theory in so doing.
Another example- Shakespeare based his Roman plays on Livy and Plutarch.
And finally while Livy may not be Roman history as we would understand that term, he is the best of all possible places to start your study of Roman history. His history was very popular. It fit the Roman self-image. That is an important point to grasp in the study of any people. Rome and her history await you in all her glory. Livy is the best door through which to enter. He is a delight to read, he expands your soul and his history is a great medicine for any mind.
p.s. As is probably obvious, I am new to study of ancient history and philosophy. Please feel free to correct any egregious errors in a comment. Learn, I must.

Nice edition
When I rate works in translation I do so based on accessibility of translation, significance of work, and any issues of accuracy I could find.

Livy's work is quite significant though probably of limited historical value (as the introduction discusses).On the other hand, some philologists have found Livy's work (including Dumezil) to contain patters common to other Indo-European societies and hence probably based on earlier oral and epic traditions which do not come down to us from other sources.For comparative Indo-European studies, as well as studies into early Rome, this work is indispensable.

The translation is quite accessible.Highly recommended.

Good book
A great book... The only problem??? well part of the saga where lost.... Such a shame....

excellant primary source
I'm an amateur of classical Roman history. Nothing published, no letters after my name....just a passion for all things Roman. It makes a perfect excuse for an european vacation...and when you know the back ground of the sites you are visiting, the whole thing comes alive!

One thing I really learned in this text is that history, espically ancient history, is a mixture of reality and myth. You may learn some facts about events, but moreso, you see how these events were precieved by the participants based on their world view. This book has done that perfectly.

The writting is smooth and its an easy read. In it you find the drama and passion and glory of Roman thru Roman eyes and watch as the...Culture, not just the city or the army, grows into a world power.
Its everything you will find in any TV drama.. deception, hurbris, cunning, avrice...and a the glory that was once Rome!

Raw History or How to Be an Imperialist and Not Feel Shame About It.
Pages filled with lots of details and accounts of almost day by day life in the Roman Empire around 200 BC. It's about 700 pages long, not at all pithy mind you. Every important battle or event seems to be introduced with parragraphs on the different augurs, premonitions and superstitions the Romans had before a big event took place. Livy wastes a little too much ink on those details. What is also a little tedious is the constant mentioning of names of personages who occupied different offices during the times of the events in question. He could have done without that too. But take this out, and skip that other thing, the book is an invaluable testimony of the times, a great canvas of the Roman Empire at its greatest moment: the duel with Carthage; Scipio vs Hannibal.

It's like reading a daily of more than 2000 years ago, only better. You get to see what was going on in the Italian peninsula, Hispania, north of Africa. The movement of troops here and there, the decision making in the Roman Senate and accross the Empire, the little barbarian rulers trying to maintain their particular fiefdoms while deciding which neighbor they should pay tribute to: Rome eventually being the better choice. I was delighted to see the Iberian leaders portrayed with a human face, balancing the pros and cons of which empire to follow, Rome or Carthage. It was like geopolitcs for dummies, only 200 BC.

Facts, action, facts, action. May be too much, with no time to pause and meditate. To be read in small takes, digesting it well, otherwise... If you don't get discouraged with so much information, irrelevant to us much of it, it will get to be a fully satisfying experience at the end. You'll think you've been in all those places, you sweat, and even hurt yourself while running away from one of those African elephants. Oh, my! ... Read more

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Italians the world over historically have identified themselves more with their regions of origin than with what is known as Italy. This new, comprehensive guide invites readers to view the colorful land as its denizens have for centuries: by region. Author Roy Domenico superbly surveys the regional and provincial characteristics and cultures of the 20 regions of Italy, encompassing economy, cuisine, history, recent politics, and arts. ... Read more

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This book offers a fresh, original and interdisciplinary interpretation of what the Catholic Reformation meant at local diocesan level in the face of attempts by Rome to regularize worship c. 1550-1700. In the process of protecting the spiritual integrity of their patria, representatives of Italian local history such as Pietro Maria Campi of Piacenza (1569-1649)--who provides the focus of this wide-ranging study--significantly broadened the boundaries of historical study and helped to lay the foundations of Italian national history writing. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Literally thousands of annals, chronicles, and histories were produced in Italy during the Middle Ages, ranging from fragments to polished humanist treatises. This book is composed of a set of case studies exploring the kinds of historical writing most characteristic of the period. We might expect a typical medieval chronicler to be a monk or cleric, but the chroniclers of communal and Renaissance Italy were overwhelmingly secular. Many were jurists or notaries whose professions granted them access to political institutions and public debate. The mix of the anecdotal and the cosmic, of portents and politics, makes these writers engaging to read. While chroniclers may have had different reasons to write and often very different points of view, they shared the belief that knowing the past might explain the present. Seen more broadly, chronicles are far more entertaining and informative than narratives. They become part of the very history they are describing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Politics and Intellectual Culture
Martines devotes himself to 2 themes.The first is Power; the history of the distinctive political culture of Italian city states.The second is the relationship between political/social history of the city states and the flowering of Renaissance high culture.Martines' primary goal is to expose the social phenomena that led to the efflorescence of Renaissance high culture.
The first half of the book is a solid and well written history of the emergence of republican city states in Nothern Italy.Martines covers the Medieval background, the struggle of city based elites to establish control over the cities from the feudal nobility and other traditional actors, the emergence of more republican forms of government, and the eventual emergence of powerful oligarchies.This part is a generally well balanced combination of overview and specific examples which gives an idea of the diversity of events in different city states.Martines gives some idea of how the civic and republican oriented attitudes engendered by the city states generated something new in Western culture.
The second half of the book is primarily a social history of Renaissance high culture, examining its relationship to the status of elites in the city states.For example, he sees humanism as primarily a program for the oligarchic elites of the city states.Fifteenth century art, with its emphasis on realism and human activities is seen as an extension of the self-confidence and sense of mastery of city state elites.The political and social disaster that followed the French/Spanish invasions of the Italian peninsula are shown to provoke be reflected in a variety of intellectual changes.These include the flight to fantasy on the part of poets like Tasso and Ariosto, the emphasis on uncontrollable forces (fortuna) in the work of Machiavelli and Guicciardini, and the emergence of the Mannerist style in art.Martines is an astute critic and the social history of high culture is the best part of the book.
While this book is not really intended as a comprehensive overview of the Renaissance, there are a number of deficiencies.While Martines does mention the importance of changes in population and trade, there is little discussion of demographic or economic history per se.Addition of even a small amount of data would have been useful.There is really no discussion of the effect of the great 14th century Black Death and subsequent plagues.I find it hard to believe that this demographic catastrophe didn't have something to do with the emergence of seignorial rule in approximately the same period.Martines's discussion of high culture doesn't touch on science at all and an expanded discussion of political theory would have been appropriate.

Top quality history for non specialists
I'm happy to endorse the points made by 'Rabid Bookfiend', but just three stars is mean by normal Amazon review standards.Collin76's points also indicate something of the richness of this book's subject matter.What they don't say is how well written it is.I'm no 'more advanced student and historian' - just someone who's read a few books recently on the period - Hale, Florence and the Medici, the Pattern of Control; Frances Stonor Saunders, Hawkwood; Eliot, Romola.All worth reading, but this is the one that makes sense of it all.I particularly enjoyed the chapter on economic trends, which also illustrates some other European history.The early material on the evolution of the city states might have seemed sketchy to specialist readers, but it's exactly what a non-specialist needs; NOW I understand something of their variety - not just Florence.A quote from p. 217, referring to humanism - 'It spoke for an elite, and to ignore this is to get the Renaissance wrong and to show that we do not see the forces and social interests that lie behind our own values.'Such a writer is going to provoke, but the intelligent reader will be challenged to think.What more could he / she want?

A Tendentious Argument
In Power and Imagination, Lauro Martines argues that the Italian Renaissance had two stages with the second building upon the first."In the first stage, social energies--economics, politics, a vibrant demography--were primary and foremost; in the second, the lead went to cultural energies" (332).Mirroring this thesis, his title refers to political authority (the power) and the "articulated ... consciousness of those who speak for the powerful" (the imagination) (xi).Martines also advocates that historians engage in "the sustained scrutiny and deep analysis of texts" (x).This approach is refreshing compared to number heavy history, but it does have its own particular dangers.

Throughout the book, Martines focuses on the communal nature of the city-state.He seems to argue that everything good in the Italian Renaissance sprang from this tentative egalitarian civic nature.In the first half of the book Martines takes the reader on a tour of his first stage of the Renaissance, describing the development of the communes and their further development into republics or signories.Then in the second half of the book he focuses more on the cultural development of these city-states, but he argues that this creativity was the city-states' spending the intellectual and moral capital from their commune days.However, many of Martines's assertions regarding the civic source for the "imaginings" of the Renaissance are shaky or truncated interpretations.

Martines's description of the humanists has certain problems.He admits that he had to deemphasize the role of the university in the humanists' origins in order to make his point that they were an extension of civic culture (203).He points to the lawyers and notaries as being the "critical figures in the origins of humanism."Not only does he fail to give the doctors of the Church the credit due them, he also attributes "new" forms of learning and inquiry to the humanists that were not new at all.He claims that the humanists developed the strategies of putting texts in context, and that medieval thinkers were atemporal.However, medieval commentaries on both ecclesiastical and classical texts contain accessi by which students would learn about a work's context.He also attributes the development of textual criticism to the humanists.However, the Greeks at the Library of Alexandria, in trying to purify the text of Homer, essentially used the same canons of criticism that scholars use today.Additionally, Origen did textual criticism on the Septuagint, and scholastics used the same canons in order to preserve Jerome's Vulgate from accretions with the Old Latin texts.Though the humanist emphasis was different from that of the scholastic, humanism should not be viewed as the sharp break with the past that Martines presents.

Martines also views the Renaissance's idea of "the dignity of man" as originating in the dignity of the urban elites (214-217).This interpretation seems a bit tendentious, and fits too well with his broader argument.That "the dignity of man" ideal is located in the imago dei seems much more plausible.Martines thinks that because many texts speak of man's domineering others that the dignity must be a fiction.However, equating egalitarianism with dignity is Martines imputing a contemporary value on the texts.He warns his readers of this danger elsewhere but succumbs to it here.

I found Martines's description of the "power" engaging and persuasive (though I have little background in Renaissance Italy's politics).However, the strength with which he binds the imagination to the power leaves me with strong doubts.His thesis needs room to breath.Perhaps I demonstrate my naivety, but I refuse to believe that power is everything.

An overview of Renaissance politics and culture intended for more advanced students and historians
Originally published in 1979, Martines's study of the rise and fall of the city-states in Italy, especially of its cultural manifestations (literature, art, architecture, political theory, and the philosophy of humanism), has for the most part withstood the test of time. The volume is not really an introductory survey for lay readers, nor is it a scholarly monograph. (In fact, the usual scholarly apparatus--notes and so on--is astonishingly sparse.)

Instead, the volume will serve as an overview for advanced undergraduates and specialists, summarizing the scholarship to date, integrating Martines's views on the interactions between economic class and cultural production, and presenting a largely revisionist analysis that portrays the Italian republics not as beacons of democracy or humanism (in the modern sense of the words) but as oligarchic structures alternating between periods of chaos and political stability.

Martines does not even broach the Renaissance era for the first third of the book. Instead, he develops the rise of the city-states during the eleventh through fourteenth centuries. It's the weakest part of the book, largely because his discussion is so filled with series of vague generalizations and with laundry lists of the common characteristics (or distinctions) across a swath of cities. Only occasionally does he depart from abstraction to mention specific historical examples, and for the uninitiated this first hundred pages will make torpid reading.

The meat is in the later sections of the book. At the risk of oversimplification, Martines's basic points are (1) that the political and military forces driving the city-states were defined by and developed for competing oligarchies (e.g., nobles against merchants, or one city against another) and (2) that the flowering of humanism was entirely at the service of those oligarchies. In short, a "Renaissance man" was a member of the upper class. Among historians today, these are hardly controversial tenets, but Martines shows how the attitudes and prejudices of the upper classes pervaded every aspect of life and art, from the "grandeur and show, order and ample spaces, finesse and finished surfaces" of architectural design, to the pragmatic ("realist and utopian") political visions of Machiavelli and Guicciardini, to the "relaxed and civilized" idealism portrayed by Castiglione's handbook for courtiers.

Martines's work serves as a partial rejoinder to those generalists (for example, Jacques Barzun, Daniel Boorstin) who still see the Renaissance primarily for the flowering of republicanism and humanism. Italy's art, culture, philosophy, politics, and militarism--all were at the service of the wealthy, and all were formulated to insure the continuing domination by those elites. Only much later were artists, historians, and scholars able to sift through this heritage for its potential republican virtues.

genious
This book is perhaps the definitive intellectual work on power relationships within Renaissance Italy.Power and imagination in the City-States formed in a reciprocal relationship.Artistry oft relectedwhat patrons desired more than anything else. Patronage kept the purse andtold painters exactly what to paint and even allocated how much of whatpaint to use.Thus great works of art and intellect not so much reflectedthe imaginative genious of individuals as the pull from strings of power. The irony is that this gave birth to intellectual freedom. Martinez is atrue genious in telling the theoretical as well as practical implicationsof this. ... Read more

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Based on extensive archival research, this study casts new light on the Inquisition in northern Italy during the Renaissance. It focuses on some representative inquisitors and their principal pursuits - the prosecution of heretics, Waldensians and Judaizers, and witch-hunting. ... Read more

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This is a pioneering examination of the impact of the crucial central phase of the Italian Wars on the society, politics and culture of Italy, and how the experience of these campaigns and their consequences affected the combatants and the way they saw Italy and the Italians. The essays cover a broad range of subjects from fortifications and military organization to civic and royal ritual, music and musicians to universities, political society and diplomacy to the history of ideas.

Together they throw light on the complex effects of the wars, how Italians tried to explain and to react to the dramatic changes these brought, and how the European powers who conquered and occupied Italian states dealt with their new subjects. ... Read more

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What is Italy? In 1814 Austrian Chancellor M. de Metternich dismissed it as a mere "geographical expression," because political control of the peninsula had long been divided among self-governing cities, possessions of foreign dynasties, and the Vatican. Prior to that, Italy had formed the "home base" of the Roman Empire. It was not until 1861 that a united Italy emerged. This concise, and clearly written account explores Italian history and culture from the Etruscans to the present day. ... Read more