Renaissance People: Lives that Shaped the Modern Age

About the Author Robert C. Davis is professor of Renaissance history at Ohio State University. He is the author of Christian Slaves Muslim Masters and numerous books on Venice. For ten years, Beth Lindsmith edited and contributed to magazines at the Ohio State University, where she has also taught classes in composition and creative writing. Product Description Like every era, the Renaissance brims with stories. In this book, Robert Davis and Beth Lindsmith highlight dozens of notable lives from between 1400 and 1600. They bring to life wily politicians, eccentric scientists, fiery rebels and stolid reactionaries, as well as a pornographer, an acrobat, an actress, a poetic prostitute, a star comedian and a least one very fretful mother. Some names are famous Leonardo, Luther, Medici and Machiavelli all feature but many others will be new to general readers. Their stories 94 in all remind us that history is more than dates and abstract concepts: it also arises from the lives of countless individual men and women. Review 'Wonderful ... manages to get across the richness and variety of those two centuries by presenting us with the lives of nearly one hundred people who fashioned the modern world' --Good Book Guide `A godsend to anyone wanting to get under the skin of the Renaissance without ploughing through mountains of weighty tomes ... a random dip reveals surprising facts on practically every page' --Art Quarterly `The authors are to be congratulated ... by concentrating on people rather than events, it gives a more personal insight to the history of the period and its format is ideal for readers who like their history in bite-sized chunks' --Cassone 'This attractive volume can be and should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the history and culture of the Renaissance' --The Historical Association From the Back Cover ?Like every era, the Renaissance brims with stories. In this book, Robert Davis and Beth Lindsmith highlight dozens of notable lives from between 1400 and 1600. They bring to life wily politicians, eccentric scientists, fiery rebels and stolid reactionaries, as well as a pornographer, an acrobat, an actress, a poetic prostitute, a star comedian and a least one very fretful mother. Some names are famous - Leonardo, Luther, Medici and Machiavelli all feature - but many others will be new to general readers. Their stories - 94 in all - remind us that history is more than dates and abstract concepts: it also arises from the lives of countless individual men and women.