For an extended version of this post which includes book summaries and thoughts from your reviewer, please click here.
15 Renaissance Reads
- Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered by Dianne Hales
- Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King
- Leonardo and The Last Supper by Ross King
- Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King (detecting a pattern, here?)
- Basilica by R.A. Scotti
- The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall by Christopher Hibbert
- The Last Medici by Harold Acton
- Dino Compagni’s Chronicle of Florence Translated by Daniel E. Bornstein
- A Florentine Diary from 1450 to 1516 by Luca Landucci
- Dante: A Life by RWB Lewis
- Giovanni and Lusana: Love and Marriage in Renaissance Florence by Gene Brucker
- Galileo’s Daugther by Dava Sobel
- The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
- The Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari
- Sprezzatura: 50 Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World by Peter D’Epiro and Mary Desmond Pinkowish
Renaissance Reads in the Queue
- The Divine Comedy by Dante (via podcast this year, finalmente!)
- The Decameron by Boccaccio (via podcast this year, finalmente!)
- History of Italy and History of Florence by Guicciardini
- How to Do It: Guides to Good Living for Renaissance Italians by Rudolph M. Bell
- Leonardo: The Artist and the Man by Serge Bramly
- Michelangelo: Life, Letters and Poetry
- The Deadly Sisterhood: A Story of Women, Power and Intrigue in the Italian Renaissance by Leonie Frieda
- Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford
- The Book of the Courtier by Castiglione
- The Pazzi Conspiracy by Harold Acton
- The Renaissance Reader edited by Kenneth J. Atchity
- The Italian Renaissance Reader edited by Julia Conaway Bondanella and Mark Musa
Always in search of attention grabbing nonfiction, I am looking forward to reading “Brunelleschi’s Dome.” But I am definitely fascinated by that original 15th century journal you discovered! Wow! Something like that would send me into a googling tailspin….
Wow wow wow ..Amazing list! I always choose historic books after some good light reads and mix them. Now I have plenty to add to my list.. having heard most of the titles you mentioned I’d say Sperzzatura has been on my list too since long as is the Medici one. I’ve only read one of Ross King so will definitely check the ones you recommend. You poured your heart into this post!!
Thank you so much, Ishita, I appreciate you saying that! This post became bigger than I had planned, so I’m happy to know you found it useful! Sprezzatura is a great place to start, such a comprehensive overview on so many different topics, I think you’ll enjoy it. Let me know what you think after you read any of these. Ordering my Eco and Camilleri books from the library now! Un abbraccio.