 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back to books index
Rome: A Fold-Out History of the
Ancient Civilization 
by Leigh Grant
What a great way for 6- to 9-year-olds to experience Rome in all its glory, through this entertaining
and informative 3-D replica of the humming city center of ancient civilization. Standing over a foot tall
and more than four feet long, Rome easily unfolds on a tabletop to depict nearly every aspect of Roman life
in a series of dramatic and detailed scenes.
It’s all here, including the forum with its temples, senate house, and courts of law; the Coliseum where
gladiators fight for their lives and crowds cheer and jeer them; and the hustle and bustle of the street,
including apartments and shops, merchants plying their wares, jugglers and acrobats entertaining the crowd,
and two-horse chariots racing over newly–built Roman roads.
The book is laid out accordion-style, with six panels on the front folding out into full-color scenes. On
the back of each panel, lively, informative text describes the functions of the buildings, the rules of the
Coliseum, the life of a gladiator, the class structure of Roman society, and much more. The book also includes
a complete time line of the important events in the history of ancient Rome.
Italy: An Illustrated History (Illustrated Histories)
by Joseph Frederic Privitera
(Click here
for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Daily Life in Ancient Rome: The People and the City at the Height of the Empire
by Jerome Carcopino, Henry T. Rowell, E. O. Lorimer (Translator), Mary Beard
This classic book brings to life imperial Rome as it was during the second century A.D., the time of Trajan and Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Commodus. It was a period marked by lavish displays of wealth, a dazzling cultural mix, and the advent of Christianity. The splendor and squalor of the city, the spectacles, and the day's routines are reconstructed from an immense fund of archaeological evidence and from vivid descriptions by ancient poets, satirists, letter-writers, and novelists-from Petronius to Pliny the Younger. In a new Introduction, the eminent classicist Mary Beard appraises the book's enduring-and sometimes surprising-influence and its value for general readers and students. She also provides an up-to-date bibliographic essay
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Art and Architecture of Rome, from Ancient Times to the Baroque
edited by Andrea Augenti
Rome has been at the center of western civilization for more than two thousand years. As the capital of an empire, and as the center of the Catholic Church, it has had tremendous influence on art, science, politics and government, as well as on religion. And through its fabulous feats of engineering and construction, it has influenced and inspired architects and designers on both the grand public scale and in the details of daily life. This profusely illustrated book has a wide variety of images, and a straightforward, informative text. It is divided into four main parts: Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque. Each part contains a historical narrative, plus separate sections of special interest. These include: the Walls of Ancient Rome, the Appian Way, the Catacombs, the Cloisters, the Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Stanze, the Farnese Gallery, the Fountains of Rome, and others. Each part also has special sections on Rome's major museums, with highlights from each collection.
(Click here for price and order information)
The Ancient Roman City
by John E. Stambaugh
Stambaugh aims at a comprehensive view of urban life in the ancient Roman world. Offering an overview of political history, liberally seasoned with a survey of the architectural development of Rome, he incorporates a catalog of the best known statesmen and authors; these figures are later invoked for the light they can shed on urban values and perspectives. The book's latter half provides a panorama of various aspects of Roman city living. The topography and the city's architecture provide a distinctive emphasis for an introductory account much like L. Richardson Jr.'s "Pompeii: An Architectural History," which joins Stambaugh's in the new series "Ancient History and Society."
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Memoirs of Hadrian
by Marguerite Yourcenar
In 1981, Marguerite Yourcenar became the first woman to be elected to the prestigious French Academy, a measure of the extraordinary place she holds in the history of French letters. This historical novel, unique in its approach to a figure from Roman history, creates a vivid and historically accurate portrait of the 2nd-century Roman Empire under Hadrian's rule. The work is a fictional first-person narrative in the form of Hadrian's letters--mostly to his nephew Marcus Aurelius--written shortly before his death. Contemplative and analytical recollections of his accomplishments, his hopes for Rome, and his personal relationships, the letters reveal Hadrian to be a highly intelligent, often wise man, conscious of the great power he wields.
(Click here for price and order information)
I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C.,
Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International)
by Robert Graves
Having never seen the famous 1970s television series based on Graves' historical novel of ancient Rome and being generally uneducated about matters both ancient and Roman, I wasn't prepared for such an engaging book. But it's a ripping good read, this fictional autobiography set in the Roman Empire's days of glory and decadence. As a history lesson, it's fabulous; as a novel it's also wonderful. Best is Claudius himself, the stutterer who let everyone think he was an idiot (to avoid getting poisoned) but who reveals himself in the narrative to be a wry and likable observer. His story continues in Claudius the God.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Vintage International)
by Robert Graves
Picking up where the extraordinarily interesting I, Claudius ends, Claudius the God tells the tale of Claudius' 13-year reign as Emperor of Rome. Naturally, it ends when Claudius is murdered--believe me, it's not giving anything away to say this; the surprise is when someone doesn't get poisoned. While Claudius spends most of his time before becoming emperor tending to his books and his writings and trying to stay out of the general line of corruption and killings, his life on the throne puts him into the center of the political maelstrom.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Roman Empire
by Eric Nelson Ph.D.
It's easy to romanticize or demonize ancient cultures, but the more you know, the more complicated things become. While the Romans were insightful, ambitious, pragmatic, and influential people, they could also be cruel, rigid, bloodthirsty, stifling, overly garish and yet a bit drab. But no other civilization has left such an imprint on the laws, lives, borders, religion, literature, politics, art, architecture, and popular imagination of the West. The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to the Roman Empire discusses the framework of ideals, infrastructure, politics, military tactics, economics, communications, and education that girded together the West.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics)
by Suetonius, Robert Graves (Translator), Michael Grant
Born in 60 A.D., Suetonius served for several years as secretary to the Roman emperor Hadrian. His years in the palaces and halls of imperial government served him well when he set out to write this oftentimes eye-popping, tell-all account of the doings of the first 12 emperors, from Julius to Domitian, who make the good fellas of Mafia renown seem tame by comparison. From Suetonius we learn that Augustus was afraid of lightning and thunder and carried a piece of seal skin as protection against them; that Caligula slept with his mother and his sister; and that Nero outlawed mimes in Rome--which may mean that he wasn't such a bad man after all. Suetonius doesn't hesitate to say when he's reporting gossip that he has not personally verified, but what gossip it is! This translation, by the noted classicist Robert Graves, serves the ancient chronicler very well indeed.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Imperial City: Rome, Romans and Napoleon, 1796-1815
by Susan Vandiver Nicassio
(Click here for price and order information)
Lives of the Saints You Should Know
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The Road To Assisi: The Essential Biography of St. Francis
In 1798 the city of Rome was stirred from its slumber by the sudden arrival of the armies of the French Revolution. The Eternal City would never be the same again.
The French oversaw the transformation of the city from the capital of the Papal States to a short-lived 'Jacobin' Roman Republic. This experiment was soon swept away and the city emerged from the ensuing years of chaos only to find itself absorbed into Imperial France. The Pope was exiled and Rome was set to be coaxed and bludgeoned into a capital city worthy of a new Empire.
Against this historical backdrop Susan Vandiver Nicassio weaves together an absorbing social, cultural and political history of Rome during these two critical decades. Based on primary sources and incorporating two centuries of Italian, French, and international research, she reveals what life was like for the population of Rome in the age of Napoleon.
Nicassio guides us through Napoleonic Rome, through its ruins and slums, its palaces and churches. We learn what Romans ate, drank, wore, and read; how they played and prayed (sometimes at the same time); and how they loved and married and died. We see the great festivals, from carnival to the Days of the Dead; the music, the art, dancing, songs and games; the random violence in public houses and intrigue in great houses. We experience life in this city of contradictions: its prisons, orphanages and hospitals the best that Europe could produce, its universities outdated, its economy a chronic disaster, its streets unimaginably filthy, its murder rate staggering and its police force among the worst in the world.
Imperial City is a history of a unique city that allows us to observe a city and its people subjected to all the perils of revolution and counter-revolution, occupation and resistance.
by Margaret R. Bunson, Matthew E. Bunson
I bought this book because I was looking for something to tell me how some Saints lived their lives - something inspirational. This it did, in it's way. It provides a brief, but personal, summary of the lives of 21 famous and not-so-famous saints. However, it appears to have been written with a children to teenage audience in mind, and so was a bit simplistic for me, as an adult, in places. By the same token, for me, as a non-Catholic, the book was easy to understand and provided useful and thought-provoking insights into sainthood and Catholic beliefs. I would recommend this book mainly to an early-teen audience, but it can also provide a good introduction to sainthood and Catholic beliefs to people of all ages and religious persuasions.
by Paul Sabatier
Over a century after its 1894 release, this excellent biography of Francis of Assisi has been re-released with some delicate editing by Jon Sweeny. In his Introduction, Sweeney pays tribute to author Paul Sabatier, making it clear that this biography remains timeless due to the French biographer's extensive research as well as his ability to capture the true humanity of St. Francis. Sweeney, who is editor-in-chief of Skylight Paths Publishing and the author of The St. Francis Prayer Book, believes that the story of Francis presents an opportunity for personal transformation, and this opportunity is more accessible if readers relate to him as a human being rather than a distant icon. This is why Sweeney so admires Sabatier, who emphasized St. Francis as a flesh-and-blood character. At the same time, Sabatier embraced the many mystical legends surrounding Francis as ways to understand the depths and mystical possibilities of Christian faith. When Sabatier reports the story of Francis seeing a winged seraph and then perceiving on his body "the stigmata of the Chosen One," he explains that this is not a story that should be subject to literal scrutiny. "Before these soul mysteries, materialists and devotees often demand precision in the things that can least endure it." Instead he asks readers to use this legend as an opportunity to ponder the possibilities of Christian devotion, much as one would ponder the moment when Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked the disciples to eat of his body. One of the highlights of this new edition is Jon Sweeney's sidebar commentary, which adds a satisfying layer of depth and richness to Sabatier's text. Sweeney also includes an index, glossary of terms and list of recommended reading.
(Click here for price and order information)
On the Road with Francis of Assisi - A Timeless Journey Through Umbria and Tuscany, and Beyond
by Linda Bird Francke
Francke (Ground Zero; Growing Up Divorced) invokes the legendary 13th-century saint as a spiritual tour guide of Italy, tracing Francis's footsteps to illuminate his spiritual and physical journey to sainthood. Submerged in the region's rich history, Francke traverses the country as Francis did for 20 years, lingering in Assisi (his birthplace), Venice and Rome, visiting chapels and devotional spaces bearing relics of his life or visual homage to the myths he inspired. Her vivid reimaginings create a window into Francis's life, which is blessed with an intriguing backstory that Francke skillfully revives in scenes of drama, despair and passion, as when Francis stridently severs ties with his father to a tittering crowd while "in the buff." She also lavishes attention on St. Clare, the feverishly devout nun who submits to the Franciscan order and falls desperately in love with its leader. Francke peppers her reverent yet witty account with local color and amusing anecdotes that usher history into the present, noting, for instance, that Peter Jennings kept on his desk a statue of St. Clare, as her miraculous witnessing of a Christmas church service marked history's "first live broadcast."
(Click here for price and order information)
Fortune Is a River: Leonardo Da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli's Magnificent Dream to Change the Course of Florentine History Machiavelli and da Vinci devised a hydrological plan for the river that was extraordinarily promising, at least on paper. The flood-prone Arno, however, made the task an impossible challenge. The pair's chances of success were further reduced by poor design, bad timing, and undisciplined workers. Their failure brought official disfavor on Machiavelli and da Vinci alike. Leonardo transferred his studio to Milan and then Rome, where he would produce remarkable work, while Machiavelli retreated from public life for a time and used his forced leisure to write The Prince. Roger Masters crafts an epic tale out of a historical footnote. Although some of his conclusions are speculative in regards to Niccolò's and Leonardo's relationship, readers will likely find his narrative persuasive and deeply informed.
(Click here for price and order information)
The Life of Cesare Borgia: A History and Some Criticisms Cesare Borgia served as Machiavelli's model of the ideal ruler for The Prince. His remarkable story is researched and told by Raphael Sabatini, the master novelist whose adventure tales have sold millions of copies worldwide. In this case though, truth is more devilish than fiction.
(Click here for price and order information)
by Roger D. Masters
History is sometimes made by seemingly insignificant moments that turn out to have been pivotal in hindsight--and sometimes what didn't happen proves to be as important as what did. One such moment came in the Florentine court of Cesare Borgia, when a civil servant named Niccolò Machiavelli recruited a local engineer named Leonardo da Vinci to devise a plan to change the course of the Arno River. Diverting that river, Machiavelli reasoned, would deprive Florence's enemy, the nearby city-state of Pisa, of a dependable water supply. It would also make the Arno River navigable for oceangoing vessels from the inland city of Florence, and as an added incentive, would help limit damage caused by the flood-prone Arno to the surrounding farmlands.
by Rafael Sabatini
Phoenix: Cesare Borgia: His Life and Times
by Sarah Bradford
Accusations of treachery, rape, incest, and murder: almost five centuries have passed since Cesare Borgia's death, and his reputation still casts a sinister shadow. Yet the real man was a mesmerizing figure who inspired Machiavelli's classic The Prince. During the brief space of time when he occupied the stage, he shocked and stunned his contemporaries with his lofty ambitions and daring, becoming the most feared, hated, and envied man of his day. By 31 he was dead: his story assumes the proportions of Greek tragedy.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Phoenix: Lucrezia Borgia
by Maria Bellonci
Although she was a daughter of Pope Alexander VI and chiefly remembered as a raven-haired poisoner, Lucrezia Borgia is depicted by Bellonci as a passionate woman moving uncertainly through the Papal court and the intrigues, ambitions and political chicanery that swirled about her. Winner of the Viareggio Literary Award and the Galante Prize in Italy in 1953.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The Borgias (Classic Biography)
by Georgina Masson, Marion Johnson
The name Borgia is synonymous with the political corruption, greed, incest, and murder that was rife in Renaissance Italy. Rodrigo Borgia-Pope Alexander VI-the first man to have clearly bought himself the papacy, and two of his infamous illegitimate children-Cesare and Lucrezia-were the three central figures of the Borgia dynasty, notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder. Marion Johnson plots the dynasty's dramatic rise from its beginnings in Spain to its occupation of the highest position in Renaissance society, examining how far the myth of the Borgias is borne out by historical facts. Behind the gaudy horrors, she concludes, lie people of great talent and achievement, possessors, even, of moderate virtues.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love And Death In Renaissance Italy
by Sarah Bradford
The very name Lucrezia Borgia conjures up everything that was sinister and corrupt about the Renaissance—incest, political assassination, papal sexual abuse, poisonous intrigue, unscrupulous power grabs. Yet as bestselling biographer Sarah Bradford reveals in this breathtaking new portrait, the truth is far more fascinating than the myth. Neither a vicious monster nor a seductive pawn, Lucrezia Borgia was a shrewd, determined woman who used her beauty and intelligence to secure a key role in the political struggles of her day.
Born the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Cardinal Borgia and his scheming mistress, Vannozza Cattanei, Lucrezia was twelve when her father became Pope Alexander VI and thirteen when she was forced into her first marriage. She would marry twice more, gaining increasing power with each match, until she came into her own as duchess of the city-state of Ferrara. Bradford argues that in her maturity Lucrezia was an enlightened ruler, kind and decisive in time of war, generous to the poets and artists of her court, passionate in love, and utterly indifferent to sexual morality.
Drawing from a trove of contemporary documents and fascinating firsthand accounts, Bradford brings to life the art, the pageantry, and the dangerous politics of the Renaissance world Lucrezia Borgia helped to create. Bradford is an expert on the Borgia family and in Lucrezia she has found a subject ideally suited to her gift for narrative and psychological insight. Sex, gossip, murder, astonishing beauty, and ambition— this is the Renaissance at its most irresistible.
(Click here for price and order information)
The Prettiest Love Letters in the World: Letters Between Lucrezia Borgia &
Pietro Bembo, 1503-1519
by Lucrezia Borgia, Pietro Bembo
(Click here for price and order information)
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love
by Dava Sobel
Everyone knows that Galileo Galilei dropped cannonballs off the leaning tower of Pisa, developed the first reliable telescope, and was convicted by the Inquisition for holding a heretical belief--that the earth revolved around the sun. But did you know he had a daughter? In Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel (author of the bestselling Longitude) tells the story of the famous scientist and his illegitimate daughter, Sister Maria Celeste. Sobel bases her book on 124 surviving letters to the scientist from the nun, whom Galileo described as "a woman of exquisite mind, singular goodness, and tenderly attached to me." Their loving correspondence revealed much about their world: the agonies of the bubonic plague, the hardships of monastic life, even Galileo's occasional forgetfulness ("The little basket, which I sent you recently with several pastries, is not mine, and therefore I wish you to return it to me").
While Galileo tangled with the Church, Maria Celeste--whose adopted name was a tribute to her father's fascination with the heavens--provided moral and emotional support with her frequent letters, approving of his work because she knew the depth of his faith. As Sobel notes, "It is difficult today ... to see the Earth at the center of the Universe. Yet that is where Galileo found it." With her fluid prose and graceful turn of phrase, Sobel breathes life into Galileo, his daughter, and the earth-centered world in which they lived.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The Lives of the Artists (Oxford World's Classics)
by Giorgio Vasari
These biographies of the great quattrocento artists have long been considered among the most important of contemporary sources on Italian Renaissance art. Vasari, who invented the term "Renaissance," was the first to outline the influential theory of Renaissance art that traces a progression through Giotto, Brunelleschi, and finally the titanic figures of Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael. This new translation, specially commissioned for the World's Classics series, contains thirty-six of the most important lives and is fully annotated.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (Penguin Classics)
by Jacob Burckhardt, S.G.C. Middlemore (Translator), Peter Murray
(Introduction), Peter Burke (Introduction)
Jacob Burckhardt was born in 1818 in Basel, Switzerland. He studied history at the University of Berlin and taught art history and the Italian Renaissance in Berlin and Basel. His essay, as he called The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, was first published in 1860. Rich in its detailed account of the arts, fashions, manners, and thought of one of the most innovative eras in human history, this brilliant panorama of Renaissance life is also a thorough examination of the nature of civilization and of our place within it. Burckhardt's encyclopedic knowledge, his mastery of style, and his genius for synthesis make this one of the few classics of history and the prototype for cultural history. Burckhardt's The Age of Constantine the Great and Cicerone were published in his lifetime, and The History of Greek Civilization and Reflections on World History after his death in 1897.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Medici Money: Banking, Metaphysics, and
Art in 15th-Century Florence
by Tim Parks
Their
name is a byword for immense wealth and power, but before their renown as art patrons and noblemen the Medicis
built their fortune on banking—specifically, on lending money at interest. Banking in the
fifteenth century, even at the height of the Renaissance, meant running afoul of the Catholic Church's prohibition
against usury. It required more than merely financial skills to make a profit, and the legendary Medicis—most
famously Cosimo and Lorenzo ("the Magnificent")—were masterly in wielding the political, diplomatic,
military, and even metaphysical tools that were needed to maintain their family's position.
In this brisk and witty narrative, Tim Parks uncovers the intrigues, dodges, and moral
qualities that gave the Medicis their edge. Vividly evoking the richness of the Florentine Renaissance and
the Medicis' glittering circle, replete with artists, popes, and kings, Medici Money is a brilliant look into
the origins of modern banking and its troubled relationship with art and religion. 14 illustrations.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall
by Christopher Hibbert
It was a
dynasty with more wealth, passion, and power than the houses of Windsor, Kennedy, and Rockefeller combined.
It shaped all of Europe and controlled politics, scientists, artists, and even popes, for three hundred years.
It was the house of Medici, patrons of Botticelli, Michelangelo and Galileo, benefactors who turned Florence
into a global power center, and then lost it all. Hibbert delves into the lives of the Medici family, whose
legacy of increasing self-indulgence and sexual dalliance eventually led to its self-destruction. With twenty-four
pages of black-and-white illustrations, this timeless saga is one of Quill's strongest-selling paperbacks.
Christopher Hibbert, an Oxford graduate, has written more than fifty books, including Wellington: A Personal History,London: The Biography of a City, Redcoats and Rebels, and The Destruction of Lord Raglan. He lives with his family in Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, England.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The Brothers Carburi
by Petrie Harbouri
The three highly-gifted young men of the title considered themselves full-blooded Italians, for they were born on the Greek island of Cephalonia which at that time was part of the Republic of Venice. This novel tells of their adventurous lives. Marino was perhaps the most colorful. He spent time as Catherine the Great's chief engineer. Commissioned to erect an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, he eventually found the single piece of stone he wanted to use as the plinth, but not only was it in Finland, it also weighed in at three million pounds. The challenge was to transport it to its final resting place in Russia. He did it. Meanwhile, his brothers GiovamBattista and Marco became, respectively, physician to the Italian and French royal households, and the founder of a prestigious chemistry laboratory in Padua.
(Click here for price and order information)
The Bourbons of Naples: (1734-1825) (Prion Lost Treasures)
by Harold Acton
A classic of European history, long out of print, written by a celebrated aesthete and historian. Before the unification of Italy in 1870, Naples was the capital of the largest of the separate Italian kingdoms. Ruled for more than 100 years by the Bourbons, one of the most eccentric and pleasure-seeking of European dynasties, Naples attracted aristocratic travelers by the hundreds; it also attracted the armies of revolutionary France. Sir Harold Acton, who had unique access to state and private archives, wrote The Bourbons of Naples over 40 years ago. Teeming with unforgettable characters, royal eccentrics, court intrigue, and the vivid events of 18th-century Italy, it is a masterpiece of modern historical writing.
(Click here for price and order information)
One of the
world's greatest reformers, Garibaldi won his first battle against Aegean pirates, his last against German
dragoons, and in between went to jail in Russia and led Brazilian rebels on the field. Twice an admiral and
seven times a general, and a high government official in at least five countries, his passion always remained
his Italian homeland. An unmatched and definitive biography captures every thrilling aspect--personal and
public--of this exemplary military figure, supreme politician, and even sometimes-farmer, who succeeded in
making his dreams of a united Italy come true. "...dissects every facet of Garibaldi's loveable character
and personality...Ridley excels all previous biographers when describing his subject's private life, and this
exhaustive study is likely to remain the standard work for many years.--Philip Magnus, The Sunday Times. "Here
is the story of a romantic hero who was also an intensely human practical man."--A.J.P. Taylor, The Observer
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Pompeii
edited by Filippo Coarelli
Frozen in time
when Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24, 79 C.E., Pompeii, gradually rediscovered and slowly excavated, has
had an enormous impact on the "collective imagination." Editor and contributor Coarelli, an expert on Roman
antiquities at the University of Perugia, and his equally impressive contributors, trace Pompeii's profound
influence on literature, history, art, music, and film, and examine the major role it has played in the evolution
of archaeology. But these are only two strands in a vividly detailed tapestry that also includes an overview
of Pompeii's history, a chronicle of its daily life, and a comprehensive tour of the spectacular city itself,
from its awe-inspiring temples to its taverns, gladiator barracks, bakeries, baths, and shops. And then there
are the 500 breathtaking, brand-new color photographs of city vistas, architectural marvels, and exquisite
sculptures, as well as jewelry, household objects, and close-ups of mosaics, friezes, and frescoes (some sacred,
some erotic). Once a vibrant community, now a city of dreams, Pompeii, as this impressive book proves, remains
utterly compelling.
(Click here for price and order information)
Escape From Pompeii
by Christina Balit
Pompeii for children:
"And then, in one terrible endless moment, they heard mighty Mount Vesuvius roar. Its top exploded in a scream, and flames ripped upward to the sky. A massive cloud of silver ash rose to the heavens, twisting and bubbling in every direction until everything was in total darkness."
If you plan to take your young children to the ruins of Pompeii, make sure they read this book first. Tranio, like most Roman boys, likes to watch whatever is going on: tradesmen selling their goods, ships unloading their exotic cargoes, politicians making speeches in the forum. But one hot August day a very different scene unfolds. The ground begins to shake, the sky to darken. People run gasping for air. Heading for the harbor, Tranio and his friend Livia hide on a boat and witness one of the most terrifying moments in recorded history-the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of their beloved city, Pompeii.
Christina Balit's fictional tale is based on the latest research. With her dramatic illustrations and a historical note, this story makes an exciting introduction to a fascinating subject.
(Click here for price an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Pompeii in historical fiction:
In this fine historical novel by British novelist Harris (Archangel; Enigma; Fatherland), an upstanding Roman engineer rushes to repair an aqueduct in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, which, in A.D. 79, is getting ready to blow its top. Young Marcus Attilius Primus becomes the aquarius of the great Aqua Augusta when its former chief engineer disappears after 20 years on the job. When water flow to the coastal town of Misenum is interrupted, Attilius convinces the admiral of the Roman fleet - the scholar Pliny the Elder - to give him a fast ship to Pompeii, where he finds the source of the problem in a burst sluiceway. Lively writing, convincing but economical period details and plenty of intrigue keep the pace quick, as Attilius meets Corelia, the defiant daughter of a vile real estate speculator, who supplies him with documents implicating her father and Attilius's predecessor in a water embezzlement scheme. Attilius has bigger worries, though: a climb up Vesuvius reveals that an eruption is imminent. Before he can warn anyone, he's ambushed by the double-crossing foreman of his team, Corvax, and a furious chase ensues. As the volcano spews hot ash, Attilius fights his way back to Pompeii in an attempt to rescue Corelia. Attilius, while possessed of certain modern attitudes and a respect for empirical observation, is no anachronism. He even sends Corelia back to her cruel father at one point, advising her to accept her fate as a woman. Harris's volcanology is well researched, and the plot, while decidedly secondary to the expertly rendered historic spectacle, keeps this impressive novel moving along toward its exciting finale. Review copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City
by Marisa Ranieri Panetta
Pompeii for those who want to know the facts:
The rediscovery of Pompeii in 1748 represented a decisive moment for our understanding of the Roman world. To visit the site on these pages is to travel through time: here is the excitement and drama Pompeii represents for archaeology and Classical studies, a complete tour of the complex and fascinating first-century Roman city. White Star's partners for Pompeii: Art and Treasures of the Buried City are the official institutions charged with preservation and the continuing exploration of the site: the Archaeological Superintendencies of Pompeii and Naples, and the Università Federico II of Naples. This book is the first collaboration of these two expert staffs and each offers a special authority on the excavations and the art of the ancient city. The text documents the most recent investigations and discoveries from the field - some previously unpublished - and represents the most current available view of one of the world's most famous archaeological sites. Marisa Ranieri Panetta writes for specialized publications, such as Archeo. In 1997 she won the UNESCO "Media Saves Art" prize for reporting on Pompeii. In 2002 she was awarded the International Theodor Mommsen Prize for her reports on Campi Flegrei.
(Click here for price and order information)
In The Shadow of Vesuvius: A Cultural History of Naples
by Jordan Lancaster
(Click here for price and order information)
Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A History of Southern Italy
"To see Naples as we saw it, in the early dawn from far up on the side of Vesuvius, is to see a picture of wonderful beauty."--Mark Twain
"One may write or paint as much as one likes, but this place, the shore, the bay, Vesuvius, the citadels, the villas, everything defies description."--Goethe
This is the first general history of the city of Naples written in English. The city, which inspires love and hate alike, has long attracted visitors, enticed not only by its commercial possibilities but also by the stunning beauty of its natural setting and its many cultural delights. From the ruins of Pompeii to glittering performances at the San Carlo opera house, Naples has much to offer visitors, but it also has high crime and a controversial past and present. The city was ruled by the French, Spanish, Hungarians and Austrians before becoming part of unified Italy in 1860. The social and economic changes after Unification resulted in thousands of Neapolitans seeking a new life abroad. These emigrants took their customs, cuisine and music with them and stamped a Neapolitan impression on the international image of Italy forever. From the time of the Grand Tour, the city has attracted travelers, from Goethe to Mark Twain, all eager to experience its legendary and seductive charms. Jordan Lancaster's sparkling guide will serve as an ideal companion for visitors and as a valuable cultural resource for all those who seek to expand their knowledge of the city or proudly trace their roots to Naples.
by Tommaso Astarita
(Click here for price and order information)
Sicily: Three Thousand Years of Human History by Sandra Benjamin
The history of Italy tends to focus on events from Rome northward, too often giving short shift to the peculiarly named "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies." Astarita does a masterful job of correcting this error and bringing to life for English speakers the people and events of these lands so central to the entire Mediterranean basin. European by geography, the region had close ties to Africa from the time of Carthage onward. Post-Roman Empire southern Italy fell under the sway of the Normans in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and Astarita recounts the era of kings Roger I and II, who dealt with the diverse powers of the papacy and sizable Muslim populations in their realm. Astarita is at his best discussing South Italy and Sicily's social history, the roles of religion and superstition as animating forces in the populace's everyday lives. A highly readable history, this volume will be enthusiastically received wherever there are concentrations of Italian-Americans. Population tables and genealogical charts add to the text's clarity. Review by Mark Knoblauch: Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Sicily: An Illustrated History
(Click here for price and order information)
History of Autonomous Sicily (1947-2001)
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
A Thousand Years in Sicily:
Beginning with the Arab invasion of Sicily in 827 AD, Quatriglio passionately recounts the vicissitudes of a nation whose people, sharing one language, common traditions and customs, have always aspired to independence and self-determination. All conquerors have left traces in the character of Sicilians, but they were never able to eradicate those special qualities (Sicelitude), that unique way of being, shared by all Sicilians.
The author is a well-known Sicilian journalist and writer. He earned a degree in jurisprudence in Italy and studied at the Medill School of Journalism of Northwestern University while on a Fullbright Scholarship. During his long and illustrious career, Giuseppe Quatriglio has received numerous awards, including, the Zanotti Bianco, the Goethe, the Pitr~-Salomone. Marino, the Castiglione di Sicilia, the Solunto, and the Telamone, -- the last three for Publifoto.
Mille anni di storia-- the Italian version of the present book, A Thousand Years in Sicily: from the Arabs to the Bourbons, is perhaps Dr. Quatriglio's best-known work. It has gone through four editions in Italian and this second English edition is being published contemporaneously with a Japanese language version in Tokyo. Dr. Quatriglio's recent works include a book on count Alessandro Cagliostro, and Viaggio in Sicilia: da Ibr~ Jubair a Peyrefitte. His latest work, L 'uomo orologio, a collection of stories, won the prestigious Mondello Prize in 1996. Dr. Quatriglio lives in Palermo with his wife and daughter.
JUSTIN VITIELLO is a professor of Italian at Temple University. He has published numerous scholarly books and articles on Italian literature. He is the author of Confessions of a Joe Rock and Sicily Within and of several books of poetry, including Il carro del pesce di Vanzetti/Vanzetti's Fish Cart.
228 pages, illustrated with 52 portraits, prints, ancient maps, and engravings. Paperback.
Click here to read an excerpt from this book
(Click here for price and order information)
Medieval Sicily An account of the eventful and glorious period from the Norman conquest of Sicily to the death of Frederick II, focusing on the political, military, and social events that culminated with the birth of the first absolute state. This book is concise, entertaining, and illuminating from many points of view -- a must for a lovers of Sicilian history. In English, 152 pages.
Click here to read an excerpt from this book
(Click here for price and order information)
Sicilians Wanted the Inquisition
SICILY 1780. Rumor has it that they want to abolish the Holy Inquisition. Sicilians, of every social condition, are alarmed, they protest. Petitions are sent to the King by the Archbishop of Palermo and all the Bishops of Sicily to save the Tribunal, for the good of the kingdom, the preservation of religion and of discipline and morality; petitions are sent by the Senate of Palermo and the Deputation of the Kingdom: how many people would lose their jobs! In this atmosphere three men from different parts of Sicily voice their opinions. They are living through the passage from one age to another very different one, the eclipse of Spain and the triumph of France. The Inquisition shocks nobody; there are other spectacles no less horrific than the public burnings. The accomplice is society, more inclined to watch a man being burned or a criminal being quartered than a bullfight and the sacrifice of an animal. All Sicily is the Holy Inquisition. Ladies too are proud to wear the cross of the Holy Office and they dine handsomely behind the platforms as the trials are being read. Ragamuffins squabble to enjoy the processions and the burnings and they scrounge around them and if they can, they stuff their stomachs too. These Sicilians have no scruples about being informers of the Inquisition, while they refuse to collaborate with ordinary justice. Amazement, fear, regret, when the Inquisition is indeed abolished. The mentality of the time, the language, certain behaviors, incredibly repeat themselves in our own day, as if nothing had changed in Sicily.
Click here to read an excerpt from this book
(Click here for price and order information)
The Normans in Sicily: The Normans in the South 1016-1130 and the Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Tourists, armchair travelers, and historians will all delight in this fluid narrative
that can be read straight through, dipped into over time, or used as a reference guide to each period in Sicily’s fascinating
tale. Emigration of people from Sicily often overshadows the importance of the people who immigrated to the
island through the centuries. These have included several who became Sicily’s rulers, along with Jews,
Ligurians, and Albanians. Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Goths, Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, Hohenstaufens, Spaniards,
Bourbons, the Savoy Kingdom of Italy and the modern era have all held sway, and left lasting influences on
the island’s culture and architecture. Sicily’s character has also been determined by what passed
it by: events that affected Europe generally, namely the Crusades and Columbus’s discovery of the Americas,
remarkably had little influence on Italy’s most famous island. Maps, biographical notes, suggestions
for further reading, a glossary, pronunciation keys, and much more make this unique book as essential as it
is enjoyable.
by Joseph F. Privitera
Amazon Reader's Review: "I'm surprised this book is not getting more attention. It is a great introduction to the confusing history of Sicily. Sicily has been occupied and conquered so many times it is hard to keep track. Privitera does a great job of sorting through all of this and explaining the history of Sicily with ease. His motivation for writing this book was researching the history of his name and in so doing discovered so much about the history of this island. The title says it is an "illustrated history." However, the illustrations are not very good. This should not discourage you from purchasing this book because the text is what counts. I enjoyed this read and it did not take long to finish the book. Recommended for the Italian history buff."
by R. Menighetti, F. Nicastro
from the Arabs to the Bourbons
by Giuseppe Quatriglio, translated by Justin Vitiello, In English.
by Henry Barbera
by Calogero Messina, translated by Alexandra and Peter Dawson, In English.
CALOGERO MESSINA teaches at the University of Palermo. He is the author of a number of historical, critical and literary Works. His publications, which include Voltaire e il mondo classico (1976), Il Caso Panepinto (1977), Giordano An-salone in Sicilia (1980), Viaggio in Spagna e Portogallo dalla Sicilia (1981), Immagine della Sicilia (1983) and Sicilia e Spagna nel Settecento (1986), have been well received by Italian and foreign critics such as Virgilio Titone, Luigi Alfonsi, Giovanni Allegra, Raoul Verdi6re, Pierre Grimal and Helmut Koenigsberger. Professor Messina is a frequent contributor to prestigious international journals and is widely known for his radio and television programs.
by John Julius Norwich
In 1016, a rebel Lombard lord appealed to a group of pilgrims for help-and unwittingly set in motion "the other Norman Conquest." The Normans in the South is the epic story of the House of Hauteville: of Robert Guiscard, perhaps the most extraordinary European adventurer between Caesar and Napoleon; his brother Roger, who helped him win Sicily from the Saracens; and his nephew Roger II, crowned at Palermo in 1130. The Kingdom in the Sun vividly evokes this "sad, superb, half-forgotten kingdom, cultivated, cosmopolitan, and tolerant," which lasted a mere 64 years. It concludes with the poignant defeat of the bastard King Tancred in 1194, bringing to a close this extraordinary chapter in Italian history. With a comprehensive listing of all of Sicily's surviving Norman monuments, the result is a superb traveler's companion and a masterpiece of the historian's art.
Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor
by David Abulafia
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Sicily, King of Jerusalem, has, since his death in 1250, enjoyed a reputation as one of the most remarkable monarchs in the history of Europe. His wide cultural tastes, his apparent tolerance of Jews and Muslims, his defiance of the papacy, and his supposed aim of creating a new, secular world order make him a figure especially attractive to contemporary historians. But as David Abulafia shows in this powerfully written biography, Frederick was much less tolerant and far-sighted in his cultural, religious, and political ambitions than is generally thought. Here, Frederick is revealed as the thorough traditionalist he really was: a man who espoused the same principles of government as his twelfth-century predecessors, an ardent leader of the Crusades, and a king as willing to make a deal with Rome as any other ruler in medieval Europe.
Frederick's realm was vast. Besides ruling the region of Europe that encompasses modern Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, eastern France, and northern Italy, he also inherited the Kingdom of Sicily and parts of the Mediterranean that include what are now Israel, Lebanon, Malta, and Cyprus. In addition, his Teutonic knights conquered the present-day Baltic States, and he even won influence along the coasts of Tunisia. Abulafia is the first to place Frederick in the wider historical context his enormous empire demands. Frederick's reign, Abulafia clearly shows, marked the climax of the power struggle between the medieval popes and the Holy Roman Emperors, and the book stresses Frederick's steadfast dedication to the task of preserving both dynasty and empire. Through the course of this rich, groundbreaking narrative, Frederick emerges as less of the innovator than he is usually portrayed. Rather than instituting a centralized autocracy, he was content to guarantee the continued existence of the customary style of government in each area he ruled: in Sicily he appeared a mighty despot, but in Germany he placed his trust in regional princes, and never dreamed of usurping their power. Abulafia shows that this pragmatism helped bring about the eventual transformation of medieval Europe into modern nation-states.
The book also sheds new light on the aims of Frederick in Italy and the Near East, and concentrates as well on the last fifteen years of the Emperor's life, a period until now little understood. In addition, Abulfia has mined the papal registers in the Secret Archive of the Vatican to provide a new interpretation of Frederick's relations with the papacy. And his attention to Frederick's register of documents from 1239-40--a collection hitherto neglected--has yielded new insights into the cultural life of the German court.
In the end, a fresh and fascinating picture develops of the most enigmatic of German rulers, a man whose accomplishments have been grossly distorted over the centuries.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
A History of Venice
by John Julius Norwich
At once the most comprehensive and the most engaging history of Venice available in English, this book will be treasured by all those who share the author's fascination with "the most beautiful and magical of cities."
"As a historian Lord Norwich knows what matters. As a writer he has a taste for beauty, a love of language and an enlivening wit.... He contrives, as no English writer has done before, to sustain a continuous interest in that crowded history."
-- Hugh Trevor-Roper"Will become the standard English work of Venetian history."
-- C. P. Snow, Financial Times"Lord Norwich has loved and understood Venice as well as any other Englishman has ever done. He has put readers of this generation more in his debt than any other English writer."
-- Peter Levi, The Sunday Times (London)
(Click here for price and order information)
The Basilica of St. Mark in Venice
edited by Ettore Vio
The church that the Venetians built to house the body of St. Mark, taken by them from Alexandria, is famous the world over. They spared no expense, and employed the most skilled artisans, to create a monument to their faith in their patron saint and to their commercial and artistic glory. Mosaics, marbles, pavements, sculptures, icons and decorations are unrivalled in their sumptuousness and as examples of Byzantine art at its apex. With an enormous number of high-quality color photographs, including many details and many full-page illustrations, this book provides complete documentation of the history and decorative program of the Basilica. It will appeal to those who are interested in Venice, in Byzantine art, in mosaics, pavements, the decorative arts and Church history.
(Click here for price and order information)
The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo
by Irving Stone
Amazon reader's review: "I must first say that I was very skeptical when I first started reading this book (having seem the movie and loving it, I was afraid that it would be poorly written); however, The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone turned out be a real gem. In fact, I wish that more modern authors could write with the eloquence that Mr. Stone shows thought this book. The book itself can be said to easy to read and its descriptions are so vivid and alive that one could have thought that one had known or been acquainted with all of these characters in previous life. Irving Stone also makes the reader experience the wild mood swings that Michelangelo experiences during the creation of his pieces and one truly understands the title of the book since Michangelo's life was truly filled with Agony and the Ecstasy."
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
by Benvenuto Cellini
From Audio File: Enter the sixteenth-century world of Italy and the Vatican, where Cellini, a master goldsmith and sculptor, lived and flourished. Whitfield brings Cellini's autobiography to life, fluently rolling Italian and English words off his tongue and capturing the flavor of the tale. Cellini tells of his adventures, his encounters with DaVinci and Michelangelo, the Medicis and other famous people of his era. The minute details recounted by Cellini are gracefully read by Whitfield, who breathes life into this fascinating autobiography.
(Click here for price and order information)
Trelawny's Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron
by Edward John Trelawny
(Click here for price and order information)
This memoir begins in 1821, when Trelawny—at the invitation of a friend—travels to Italy and finds himself in company with the Shelleys and Byron, who were staying at Pisa. Edward John Trelawny was one of the most entertaining of the many contemporaries who recorded their conversations with Lord Byron. He was very much a self-made and self-promoting individual, who worshipped Percy Shelley, who for many years sought to wed Mary Shelley, and who always considered himself in competition with Byron--at pistols, at swimming, at love-making, at warfaring, and even at writing. It is only fair to acknowledge that Trelawny was a brilliant story-teller. It is also only fair to recognize, as Byron himself did, that Trelawny was far from truthful. He can always be counted upon to bend a story a bit to make it sound a little better. In Byron: A Portrait , Leslie Marchand tells us that Byron "said once that if Trelawny would only learn to tell the truth and wash his hands, they might make a gentleman of him yet." Such acerbic comments no doubt led to some resentment on Trelawny's part, but his Recollections (1858), although biased and written long after the events, are clearly the work of a man who knew Byron--and knew him well. They are offered here for the direct light they shed on Byron's final, fascinating years of life. The events recorded in these extracts begin in the spring of 1822 and continue through the death of Shelley later that year and then pick up during the final months of Byron's life in 1824.
Peking to Paris, An Account of Prince Borghese’s Journey Across Two Continents in a Motor-Car
by Luigi Barzini, Sr.
Luigi Barzini wrote Peking to Paris, An Account of Prince Borghese’s Journey Across Two Continents
in a Motor-Car in 1907, shortly after returning from one of the most exciting and demanding automotive
adventures that has ever been undertaken. The idea of driving from Peking to Paris, proposed by France’s
leading newspaper Le Matin was initially viewed as folly. In 1907, the automobile was scarcely a decade old
and traveling from one town to the next by automobile was far from a sure thing. To travel thousands of miles,
across two continents, where no roads existed and in an age without gasoline stations or even reliable maps
was inconceivable to all but a few rugged adventurers who took on the challenge.
Barzini was already an accomplished and recognized journalist when he joined Prince Scipione Borghese’s
Itala team. Borghese was single-minded in his determination to complete the journey, win the race and bring
glory to Italy. That he was successful makes Luigi Barzini’s reports of their struggles and triumphs
even more compelling. Peking to Paris became an overnight success, translated into 11 languages and
published all over the world.
(Click here for price and order information)
Iris Origo: Marchesa of Val D'Orcia
by Caroline Moorehead
Eagerly exchanging an existence of idle privilege and social intrigue for one of hard work and literary distinction, Origo led a life characterized by vitality and commitment. Born in 1902 into a wealthy American family, she and her British mother permanently left the U.S. after the untimely death of her father in 1910. Traveling extensively throughout Europe, they eventually settled outside of Florence, becoming prominent members of the stuffy Anglo-Florentine community of expatriates. Asserting her trademark independence, she married Antonio Origo, the illegitimate son of a cavalry officer-sculptor. Together Antonio and Iris purchased and totally revitalized an arid Tuscan valley and renovated a crumbling estate. With virtually no experience and few practical skills, they transformed themselves into agrarian pioneers and their extensive acreage into a prosperous working community supporting more than 200 people. During the war years, they quietly supported the Allies, offering refuge to countless numbers of partisans and prisoners of war. In addition to these accomplishments, Iris also buried one child and raised two more, conducted several heart-wrenching extramarital affairs, and distinguished herself as both a biographer and a literary critic. Moorehead has exquisitely captured the energy and the essence of an aristocrat resolutely committed to her land, her craft, and her nontraditional lifestyle. A magnificent biography, so absorbing and so full of fascinating characters and descriptive details that it reads like fiction.
(Click here for price and order information)
The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany
by Paul Salsini
During World War
II, the beautiful hills of Tuscany are transformed into horrific battlefields as Italian partisans sabotage
the Germans. When Hitler's SS begins to commit ghastly atrocities, terrified villagers flee to farmhouses
in the hills for refuge. The villagers initially cower as the war rages around them, but they overcome petty
differences, confront betrayal by one villager, fearlessly house an escaped prisoner and survive a raid by
the Nazis. As the brutal war continues, a young girl finds love, two boys become heroes, and secrets are revealed.
Then an unthinkable event changes their lives forever.
Inspired by the experiences of author Paul Salsini's relatives, The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany is a riveting story of courage, endurance, and the power of the human spirit in the cruelest of times.
(Click here for price and order information)
A Thread of Grace
by Mary Doria Russell
Mary Doria Russell's
extraordinary and complex historical novel, A Thread of Grace is the kind of book that you will find yourself haunted
by long after finishing the last page. It opens with a group of Jewish refugees being escorted to safe-keeping
by Italian soldiers. After making the arduous journey over a steep mountain pass, they are welcomed into a
small village with warm food and clean beds. They have barely laid their heads to rest when news is received
that Mussolini has just surrendered Italy to Hitler, putting them in danger yet again. This opening sequence
is a grim foreshadowing of the heart-breaking journey these characters will experience in their struggle for
survival.
The rich fictional narrative is woven through the factual military maneuvers
and political games at the end of WW II, sharing a little-known story of a group of Italian citizens that
sheltered more than 40,000 Jews from grueling work camp executions. Rather than the bleak and hopeless feeling
that might be expected, the novel has the opposite effect; it reminds us that just as there will always be
war, crime, and death, so too will there be good people who selflessly sacrifice themselves to ease the suffering
of others. Perhaps best of all, Russell succinctly opens and closes her writing with short pieces that bookend
the story with the force of a freight train. Her moving finale wraps up her narrative in the present day,
with a death bed scene that's sure to rip the heart out of readers of every faith and ancestry. --Victoria
Griffith --This
text refers to the Hardcover edition.
(Click
here for price and order information)
Their Other Side, Six American Women and the Lure of Italy
by Helen Barolini
(Click here for price and order information)
Fellini on Fellini A memoir by one of the 20th century's most famed artists. At the Academy Awards ceremony in March of 1993, Fellini received a special Oscar for lifetime achievement in filmmaking, which he dedicated to his wife Giulietta Masina in his acceptance speech. In August of that year, Fellini suffered a stroke, and went into a coma following a heart attack in October. After his death at age 73 on October 31st - one day after Masina (who was to die of cancer less than five months later) observed their 50th wedding anniversary - tens of thousands of people packed the narrow streets of Fellini's hometown of Rimini, applauding as the director's casket was carried from the main piazza to the cinema where Fellini had watched his first films as a child (and which he featured in AMARCORD). It was a fitting tribute to one of the cinema's greatest artists, who had become a national treasure for Italy and a respected master the world over.
(Click here for price and order information)
For many writers and artists, Italy has been the land of light, a seductive source
of invention, enchantment, and freedom. So it was for Helen Barolini, who, as a student in Rome after World War II, wrote her first poetry and gave birth to her own creative life, reinvigorating her mother tongue. In this book, Barolini celebrates the lives of other women whose imaginations succumbed to the lure
of Italy. She profiles six gifted women transformed by Italy’s mythic appeal. Unlike Barolini herself, they were not daughters of the great Italian diaspora. Rather, they were drawn to an idea of “ Italy” and its gifts—in whose welcome a new self could be created. Or discovered.
Emily Dickinson traveled to Italy only in the imaginative genius of her verse.
Margaret Fuller struggled alongside her Italian lover in the political revolutions
that gave birth to the Italian Republic, while the novelist and short-story writer
Constance Fennimore Woolson found her home in Venice and Florence. Here, too,
is the flamboyant artist Mabel Dodge Luhan, entertaining at her villa near Florence;
and Marguerite Chapin of Connecticut, who married an Italian prince and in Rome
founded the premier literary review of the mid-century, Botteghe Oscure.
Finally, here is Iris Cutting Origo, the Anglo-American heiress who, with her
Italian nobleman husband, built a Tuscan estate, where she wrote acclaimed biographies—and
created a refuge from Mussolini’s fascism.
Linking these lives, Barolini shows, is the transforming catalyst of change in
a new land. Their Other Side is a wise, warm, and deeply felt literary
journey that brilliantly captures the enduring effects of Italy as a place, a
culture, and an experience.
by Federico Fellini
City of Secrets: The Truth Behind the Murders at the Vatican
by John Follain (Author)
On May 4, 1998, Col. Alois Estermann, commander of the Swiss Guards, the Vatican force that protects the pope, was found shot dead in his apartment inside Vatican City, along with his wife. Also shot dead in the room was a young Swiss guardsman, Cedric Tornay. Three hours after the bodies were discovered, the Vatican released a statement naming Tornay as the killer, his motive a "fit of madness." Not so fast, thought Follain, author (Jackal, etc.) and Rome-based correspondent for the Sunday Times of London, who also figured that investigating the story would allow him insight into Vatican ways. This book presents his findings, written as a first-person investigation. This technique generates moderate suspense, as Follain follows up leads, interviews tangential figures in the case (the man who succeeded Estermann as head of the Swiss Guards, assorted clerics, the accused killer's mother et al.), and it allows for vivid firsthand accounts of the Vatican and its officials, as well as of London, Paris and Switzerland, where Follain's digging also took him. As Follain turns up evidence-mostly circumstantial and anecdotal-that the murders were more complicated than the Vatican opined, including apparent ties between Estermann and the conservative group Opus Dei and a possible homosexual affair between Estermann and Tornay, and as his outrage grows, his writing turns more lurid: his portrait of Monsignor Alois Jehle, chaplain to the Swiss Guards, which closes this account, drips with personal distaste. While by no means an objective account, then, the book does provide unusual access to inner Vatican circles and demonstrates that even those busy in pursuit of the divine can be human, perhaps all too human.
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism
by Alexander Stille
Amazon Reader's Review: "This is a very moving book, but also a very informative one. The author, an Italian journalist, shows how varied the Jewish response to and experience of fascism was in Italy. At one extreme there were Jews who joined the fascist party (and were welcomed into it) at the other extreme there were Jews fighting with the partisans. By describing what happened to five different families, this beautifully written book grips you like a novel and leaves you gasping at man's inhumanity and humanity to his fellow man."
(Click here for an excerpt, as well as price and order information)
Bad Times, Good People: A Holocaust Survivor Recounts His Life in Italy
During World War II
by Walter Wolff
(Click here for price and order information)
