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The Florentines

From Dante to Galileo
4.22 goodreads logo

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( 1,032 ratings, 127 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Florentines by Paul Strathern delves into the lives of the influential figures of Florence during the Renaissance period. Through vivid storytelling, Strathern examines how these personalities, from artists to politicians, shaped the cultural and political landscape of the city, making Florence a pivotal centre of European history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are fascinated by the intertwining lives of artists, thinkers, and political figures in Renaissance Florence, exploring how they shaped modern Western culture. This well-researched biography delves into the rich histories and intricate relationships that made Florence a cradle of the Renaissance.

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A sweeping 400-year history of the Florentines who gave birth to the Renaissance, by the author of The Medici and The Borgias.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! 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 β€” 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 β€” including Dante, Botticelli, Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Galileo β€” 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.

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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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