Renaissance People

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 – Leonardo, Luther, Medici and Machiavelli – are famous, but many others will be new to general readers. Their stories, ninety-four 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.

'A godsend to anyone wanting to get under the skin of the Renaissance' - Art Quarterly, 'Wonderful ... [shows] the richness and variety of those two centuries by presenting us with the lives of nearly 100 people who fashioned the modern world' - Good Book Guide, 'Should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the history and culture of the Renaissance' - The Historical Association

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.