Italy Books - Page 6

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling

Ross King

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 85 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Almost 500 years after Michelangelo Buonarroti frescoed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the site still attracts throngs of visitors and is considered one of the artistic masterpieces of the world. Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling unveils the story behind the art's making, a story rife with all the drama of a modern-day soap opera.

The temperament of the day was dictated by the politics of the papal court, a corrupt and powerful office steeped in controversy; Pope Julius II even had a nickname, "Il Papa Terrible," to prove it. Along with his violent outbursts and warmongering, Pope Julius II took upon himself to restore the Sistine Chapel and pretty much intimidated Michelangelo into painting the ceiling even though the artist considered himself primarily a sculptor and was particularly unfamiliar with the temperamental art of fresco. Along with technical difficulties, personality conflicts, and money troubles, Michelangelo was plagued by health problems and competition in the form of the dashing and talented young painter Raphael.

Author Ross King offers an in-depth analysis of the complex historical background that led to the magnificence that is the Sistine Chapel ceiling along with detailed discussion of some of the ceiling’s panels. King provides fabulous tidbits of information and weaves together a fascinating historical tale. --J.P. Cohen

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Edward Gibbon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

An amazing work 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful.

I gave this book 5 stars because of the incredible content. The book is well written and fairly easy to read, though it is very long. I can't imagine reading the entire volume set written by Gibbons. The only problem I have with this book is that the author does drone on a bit.

Editorial Review:

Gripping, powerfully intelligent, and wonderfully entertaining, Gibbon's classic account of Rome ranks as one of the literary masterpieces of its age. Attacked for its enlightened views on politics, sexuality, and religion, the first volume was nonetheless found on every table and received widespread acclaim for its elegant prose. Famously skeptical about Christianity, unexpectedly sympathetic to the barbarian invaders and the Byzantine Empire, constantly aware of how political leaders often achieve the exact opposite of what they intend, Gibbon captured both the broad pattern of events and the significant revealing detail. This abridged edition compresses thirteen turbulent centuries into a single epic narrative, and features a foreword, introduction, and extended appreciation by Hugh Trevor-Roper, an esteemed professor of history at Oxford University.

The Science of Leonardo: Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance

Fritjof Capra

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Leonardo da Vinci’s pioneering scientific work was virtually unknown during his lifetime. Now acclaimed scientist and bestselling author Fritjof Capra reveals that Leonardo was in many ways the unacknowledged “father of modern science.” Drawing on an examination of over 6,000 pages of Leonardo’s surviving notebooks, Capra explains that Leonardo approached scientific knowledge with the eyes of an artist. Through his studies of living and nonliving forms, from architecture and human anatomy to the turbulence of water and the growth patterns of grasses, he pioneered the empirical, systematic approach to the observation of nature—what is now known as the scientific method.

Leonardo's scientific explorations were extraordinarily wide-ranging. He studied the flight patterns of birds to create some of the first human flying machines. Using his understanding of weights and levers and trajectories and forces, he designed military weapons and defenses, and was in fact regarded as one of the foremost military engineers of his era. He studied optics, the nature of light, and the workings of the human heart and circulatory system. Because of his vast knowledge of hydraulics, he was hired to create designs for rebuilding the infrastructure of Milan and the plain of Lombardy, employing the very principles still used by city planners today. He was a mechanical genius, and yet his worldview was not mechanistic but organic and ecological. This is why, in Capra's view, Leonardo's science—centuries ahead of his time in a host of fields—is eminently relevant to our time.

Enhanced with fifty beautiful sepia-toned illustrations, The Science of Leonardo is a fresh and important portrait of a colossal figure in the world of science and the arts.

Roman Warfare (Smithsonian History of Warfare) (Smithsonian History of Warfare)

Adrian Goldsworthy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good information 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Goldsworthy produces yet another good description of the Roman way of war to complement his other offerings on the Roman Army, leaders and individual Roman wars. Recommended reading.

Editorial Review:

The Roman Army was the most advanced professional fighting force the world had ever seen. What distinguished the Roman Army from its opponents was the uncompromising, total destruction of its enemies. The Romans' ruthless approach to warfare eventually created an empire that included much of Europe, the Near East, and North Africa. This authoritative history narrates the dramatic rise and fall of the Roman Empire, a journey author Adrian Goldsworthy traces with colorful anecdote and rich illustration.

• From the origins of Rome and the conquest of Italy to the great era of world conquest and empire
• The epic wars with Carthage and the Hellenistic world
• Periods of crisis and instability within the growing Roman Empire
• The eventual collapse of the Roman Empire in the West and its resurgence in the East

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro: A Tale of Passion and Folly in the Heart of Italy

Joe Mcginniss

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Total reviews: 107 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

We already knew Joe McGinniss could chill our blood (Fatal Vision) and arouse both our pity and distaste for the Kennedys (The Last Brother), but who knew he could be so funny? (Well, maybe readers who remember The Selling of the President back in 1968.) Even those who have no interest in soccer--the majority of Americans, he ruefully admits--will relish the author's vivid account of a team from Castel di Sangro, a tiny town in Italy's poorest region, that against all expectations made it to the national competition. Whether he's chronicling his ordeal at possibly the least-inviting hotel in Italy (the heat doesn't come on until October, no matter the temperature; he is assigned to a room up four flights of stairs though there are no other guests), or sketching a colorful cast of characters that includes the team's sinister owner and an utterly unflappable translator, McGinniss prompts roars of laughter as he reveals an Italy tourists never see. He also saddens readers with a shocking final scene in which he confronts the nation's casual corruption, which taints men he's come to respect and even love. Although not a conventional memoir, this stirring book reveals as much about the author's passionate character as about the nation and the players who win his heart, then break it. --Wendy Smith

Ancient Rome: How It Affects You Today (An Uncle Eric Book.)

Richard J. Maybury

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Ancient Rome" discusses what happens when higher law principles and a free market economy are ignored. Mr. Maybury uses historical events to explain current events, including the wars in the former Soviet Empire, and the legal and economic problems of America today. Is your government making the same choices that led to the fall of Ancient Rome? Will history repeat?

To improve the student's learning experience, also purchase the student study guide for "Ancient Rome: How It Affects You Today" titled "A Bluestocking Guide: Ancient Rome" also available through Amazon.com.

Can be used for courses in Ancient Rome, U.S. History, Government, and Economics.

Table of Contents for Ancient Rome
Uncle Eric's Model of How the World Works
Study Guide Available
About the Cover Illustration
Author's Disclosure
Maps
Timeline

1. History Repeats
2. The Roman Disease that Stalks the Markets
3. The Roman Model
4. Hitler and Mussolini
5. The Roman Lust for Blood
6. Logic vs. Interests
7. Listen to the Music
8. The Return of Feudalism
9. Straight Lines
10. The Byzantine Empire
11. Summary

Bibliography
Glossary
About Richard J. Maybury (Uncle Eric)
Index

Suggested for Further Reading
Richard Maybury uses several examples from Ancient Rome to explain economic principles in his book "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?" also available through Amazon.com

The Italians

Luigi Barzini

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Superfluous Cynicism. 4 out of 5 stars.
17 of 20 people found this review helpful.

This elegant, but dated book appears to fit Mr. Barzini's pessimistic generation. Which after living through two world wars & the great depression is understandable. However, as he stated in the preface this is not a scholarly or scientific analysis. The reader should take his observations with a "block of salt." It is safe to say that the vast majority of books on national character are usually oversimplifications.

But, at times the author hits the target of the elusive Italian national character. I would read the forward & conclusion first, & than the book in its entirety. The heart of the book for me is on pages 331-4. As for the chapters, I will critique each in order, & give the most informative pages. Ch1, Visit Italy & you will find out for yourself. Ch2, history entices visitors. The main pages are 25-7. Ch3, This is very subjective, & all individuals must find out on his/her own, main pages of interest are 54-7. Ch4, This was repetitive, spectacle an ancient habit, main pages 68-70. Ch5, There is some truth for sure, pages 80-1, 92-3 & 100 are very intruiging. the latter page was even funny. Ch6, About the economics of the country as a whole. This was very dated even when the author wrote it. Ch7, hero or Benito lite? You will find this one very deep indeed.


Ch8, it is true enough that double delusions can increase chaos in ones society. Ch9, comfort with the status quo? Ch10, the Italians never truly adopted the farce of feudalism. Ch11, The refuge & torment of family. Pages 190-2 are very good. His analysis about the vast commonalities between Italian, Jewish, & Chinese families was truly striking. The economist Thomas Sowell noted the same traits in his 1981 book, Ethnic America. Ch12, this chapter could easily apply to any western society, there was nothing new here. Ch14, this was an enigma inside a labyrinth, pages 260-70 made for some noteworthy observations. Ch15, pages 283-92 will make the reader think deeply about life. Ch16, perhaps, the most interesting chapter? pages 309-13 were filled with the most fascinating facts. On the whole the author addresses the problems of a very divided society with some brilliant historical analysis. The pervasive problems of Italian society are there for all to see. But, Mr. Barzini gives no solutions. In certain ways he hints at the answers in chapter 7, "The Obsession With Antiquity." When the reader truly wants to know how & why Italians have remained so divided over the past fifteen centuries you will have to go back & study the late Roman empire. I suggest any books by Michael Grant or Adrain Goldsworthy as a good start.

Editorial Review:

In this consummate portrait of the Italian people, bestselling author, publisher, journalist, and politician Luigi Barzini delves deeply into the Italian national character, discovering both its great qualities and its imperfections. Barzini is startlingly frank as he examines "the two Italies": the one that created and nurtured such luminaries as Dante Alighieri, St. Thomas of Aquino, and Leonardo da Vinci; the other, feeble and prone to catastrophe, backward in political action if not in thought, "invaded, ravaged, sacked, and humiliated in every century." Deeply ambivalent, Barzini approaches his task with a combination of love, hate, disillusion, and affectionate paternalism, resulting in a completely original, thoughtful, and probing picture of his countrymen.

The Pope's Daughter: The Extraordinary Life of Felice della Rovere

Caroline P. Murphy

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The illegitimate daughter of Pope Julius II, Felice della Rovere became one of the most powerful and accomplished women of the Italian Renaissance. Now, Caroline Murphy vividly captures the untold story of a rare woman who moved with confidence through a world of popes and princes.
Using a wide variety of sources, including Felice's personal correspondence, as well as diaries, account books, and chronicles of Renaissance Rome, Murphy skillfully weaves a compelling portrait of this remarkable woman. Felice della Rovere was to witness Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel, watch her father Pope Julius II lay the foundation stone for the new Saint Peter's, and saw herself immortalized by Raphael in his Vatican frescos. With her marriage to Gian Giordano Orsini--arranged, though not attended, by her father the Pope--she came to possess great wealth and power, assets which she used to her advantage. While her father lived, Felice exercised much influence in the affairs of Rome, even egotiating for peace with the Queen of France. After his death, Felice persevered, making allies of the cardinals and clerics of St. Peter's and maintaining her control of the Orsini land through tenacity, ingenuity, and carefully cultivated political savvy. She survived the Sack of Rome in 1527, but her greatest enemy proved to be her own stepson Napoleone, whose rivalry with his stepbrother Girolamo ended suddenly and violently, and brought her perilously close to losing everything she had spent her life acquiring.
With a marvelous cast of characters, The Pope's Daughter is a spellbinding biography set against the brilliant backdrop of Renaissance Rome.

Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome

Stephen Dando-Collins

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Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

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"A unique and splendidly researched story, following the trials and triumphs of Julius Caesar's Legio X-arguably the most famous legion of its day-from its activation to the slogging battle of Munda and from Thapsus, Caesar's tactical masterpiece, to the grim siege of the Jewish fortress of Masada. More than a mere unit account, it incorporates the history of Rome and the Roman army at the height of their power and gory glory. Many military historians consider Caesar's legions the world's most efficient infantry before the arrival of gunpowder. This book shows why. Written in readable, popular style, Caesar's Legion is a must for military buffs and anyone interested in Roman history at a critical point in European civilization."
—T. R. Fehrenbach, author of This Kind of War, Lone Star, and Comanches

Stephen Dando-Collins paints a vivid and definitive portrait of daily life in the Tenth Legion as he follows Caesar and his men along the blood-soaked fringes of the Empire. This unprecedented regimental history reveals countless previously unknown details about Roman military practices, Caesar's conduct as a commander and his relationships with officers and legionaries, and the daily routine and discipline of the Legion. From penetrating insights into the mind of history's greatest general to a grunt's-eye view of the gruesome realities of war in the Classical Age, this unique and riveting true account sets a new standard of exellence and detail to which all authors of ancient military history will now aspire.

Michelangelo (XL Series)

Frank Zollner, Christof Thoenes, Thomas Popper

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Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Michelangelo as never seen before

Before reaching the tender age of thirty, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) had already sculpted David and Pièta, two of the most famous sculptures in the entire history of art. Like fellow Florentine Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo was a shining star of the Renaissance and a genius of consummate virtuosity. His achievements as a sculptor, painter, draughtsman, and architect are unique--no artist before or after him has ever produced such a vast, multi-faceted, and wide-ranging oeuvre. Only a handful of other painters and sculptors have attained a comparable social status and enjoyed a similar artistic freedom. This is demonstrated not only by the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel but also by Michelangelo's monumental sculptures and his unconventional architectural designs, whose forms went far beyond the accepted vocabulary of his day. Such was his talent that Michelangelo was considered a demigod by his contemporaries and was the subject of two biographies during his lifetime. Adoration of this remarkable man's work has only increased on the intervening centuries. This sumptuous tome also takes account, to a previously unseen extent, of Michelangelo's more personal traits and circumstances, such as his solitary nature, his thirst for money and commissions, his miserliness, his immense wealth, and his skill as a property investor. In addition, the book tackles the controversial issue of the attribution of Michelangelo drawings, an area in which decisions continue to be steered by the interests of the art market and the major collections. This is the definitive volume about Michelangelo for generations to come.