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The Medici
The Ferdinand The Harper FIRST First Edition, First Printing. Not price-clipped. Published by Harper Torchbook, 1960. Octavo. Paperback. Book is very good. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.Seller 308427 History We Buy Books! Collections - Libraries - Estates - Individual Titles. Message us if you have books to sell!
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1949
About the author
Ferdinand Schevill
66 books5 followersFerdinand Schevill (1868–1954) was an American historian.
He graduated from Yale University in 1889 and finished his PhD at Freiburg in 1892. That same year he arrived at the University of Chicago, where he taught from 1892 to 1937.
Schevill’s first book, a textbook on Western European history, was Political History of Europe from 1500 to the Present Day. It was revised and reissued many times. In 1922 he publishedThe History of the Balkan Peninsula: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Schevill retired in 1924. In 1930 he reentered the University in the Humanities General Course of general education. He retired five years later to finish The History of Florence (1936).
He graduated from Yale University in 1889 and finished his PhD at Freiburg in 1892. That same year he arrived at the University of Chicago, where he taught from 1892 to 1937.
Schevill’s first book, a textbook on Western European history, was Political History of Europe from 1500 to the Present Day. It was revised and reissued many times. In 1922 he publishedThe History of the Balkan Peninsula: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Schevill retired in 1924. In 1930 he reentered the University in the Humanities General Course of general education. He retired five years later to finish The History of Florence (1936).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 13, 2012
In all honesty I would probably give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars, but it wasn't quite as enjoyable as a 4, so I rounded it down. You could say that the book was probably not meant to be purely enjoyable, but just a historical narrative - however I have read historical narratives about the colorful Medici family that are unbelievably more exciting and enjoyable.
The main thing that annoyed me about the book was that the author came across to me as extremely self-satisfied in sounding scholarly and twisting all his sentences to become unnecessarily long and complicatedly intelligent. I am not dumb, by any means, I could certainly understand it, but it did not make for easy, care-free reading all the time.
For people looking for an artistic (as in, art patronage and the like) history, you would spend your time better in other research areas. This book seems to me to be far more a political history than an artistic one.
Another thing that annoyed me about the book was the fact that although the book was titled The Medici it took the author until page 56 to actually start talking about them. The first 55 pages are therefore quite boring and for me were a drawn out and not-encouraging start to the book. However, the latter 150 pages or so, their subject matter being the Medici, could not be boring - although at times with some of the less prominent Medici and the more politically dense areas of the books it does come perilously close.
Therefore I would recommend this book for anyone fervently interested with the Medici, but not for those specifically looking for their artistic contributions in terms of patronage. The book was interesting, but if readers are looking for a book on the same subject matter but far more interesting, I would recommend The House of Medici: It's Rise and Fall, by Christopher Hibbert - I found it far more enjoyable, richer in artistic detail, both more emotional and easier to read. For those looking for historical fiction pertaining to the Medici family I would recommend The Devil's Queen, by Jeanne Kalogridis, or The Medici Seal by Theresa Breslin.
The main thing that annoyed me about the book was that the author came across to me as extremely self-satisfied in sounding scholarly and twisting all his sentences to become unnecessarily long and complicatedly intelligent. I am not dumb, by any means, I could certainly understand it, but it did not make for easy, care-free reading all the time.
For people looking for an artistic (as in, art patronage and the like) history, you would spend your time better in other research areas. This book seems to me to be far more a political history than an artistic one.
Another thing that annoyed me about the book was the fact that although the book was titled The Medici it took the author until page 56 to actually start talking about them. The first 55 pages are therefore quite boring and for me were a drawn out and not-encouraging start to the book. However, the latter 150 pages or so, their subject matter being the Medici, could not be boring - although at times with some of the less prominent Medici and the more politically dense areas of the books it does come perilously close.
Therefore I would recommend this book for anyone fervently interested with the Medici, but not for those specifically looking for their artistic contributions in terms of patronage. The book was interesting, but if readers are looking for a book on the same subject matter but far more interesting, I would recommend The House of Medici: It's Rise and Fall, by Christopher Hibbert - I found it far more enjoyable, richer in artistic detail, both more emotional and easier to read. For those looking for historical fiction pertaining to the Medici family I would recommend The Devil's Queen, by Jeanne Kalogridis, or The Medici Seal by Theresa Breslin.
December 6, 2015
This book has probably been on my bookshelf for decades -- I studied in Florence as an undergraduates and became interested in the city and its history, including the Medici, then. The copyright for the book is 1949, so it's not exactly a current interpretation of the Medici in history. Actually, it's a very old-fashioned history--very dry, with an omniscient author whose voice and opinions frequently intrude on the narrative. As I eased into the book, I came to enjoy the author's voice and occasional pedantry.
Here's a sample: "In bidding this second pope of the house Medici farewell it behooves our charity to recall that his rule befell among circumstances as difficult as any that have ever confronted a head of the church."
Or this about Michelangelo: "Somebody managed to reach the great man with a tale of personal danger and, constitutionally timid as repeatedly throughout his life he proved himself to be, he impulsively took to his heels."
Gotta love it. And the book does deliver a cogent history of an amazing family -- three hundred years of sometimes benign and sometimes autocratic rule in a city that thought of itself as a republic -- and three hundred years of patronage of the arts that produced some of the most beautiful works in the world.
Here's a sample: "In bidding this second pope of the house Medici farewell it behooves our charity to recall that his rule befell among circumstances as difficult as any that have ever confronted a head of the church."
Or this about Michelangelo: "Somebody managed to reach the great man with a tale of personal danger and, constitutionally timid as repeatedly throughout his life he proved himself to be, he impulsively took to his heels."
Gotta love it. And the book does deliver a cogent history of an amazing family -- three hundred years of sometimes benign and sometimes autocratic rule in a city that thought of itself as a republic -- and three hundred years of patronage of the arts that produced some of the most beautiful works in the world.
August 16, 2017
Picked up this quite-old book at a sale for a dollar, meaning I wasn't all that invested in its stellar quality. I just hoped it would give me a bare outline of the history of Florence through the Renaissance, focused on the Medici. And it certainly did that, so well worth that dollar. The writing style is rather old fashioned, and probably seemed old fashioned in 1949 (when the book was originally published). I imagine Schevill as a terribly old, terribly tweedy fellow at that time, sitting in chambers in some grey-stone bastion of academe, educated in Victorian times and still steeped in the rather flowery language that was often (but not always, I quickly say) indicative of that era. I didn't hold much stock in his analysis, which contains a lot of "No thoughtful historian can but think..." and not a great deal of nuance. But it absolutely did give me a framework of events on which I could hang a more detailed study of the period. So, three stars. Should you seek it out? I'm guessing there are better books on the subject. Should you pick it up if you find it for a dollar? Sure.
January 2, 2023
Interesting overview but missing some important details in my opinion. If interested in a quick read this would be good. I think its probably a good starting place to dive in, and then find more detailed books about the family.
April 12, 2024
Despite being an historian there are some details left out, names missing, dates & events mentioned but no followed by information. Little space would be required to provide the above so I don’t know why he would omit details that would help the reader. Some lack of information gives the wrong impression of certain events which is definitely not helpful, so where I detected a false detail Google supplied the info.
I’m not enjoying the read just now but I will continue.
I’m not enjoying the read just now but I will continue.
August 16, 2024
Take my rating with a grain of salt, because I’m not a nonfiction reader. I thought the book was dry and required more background knowledge of Florentine politics than I was equipped with.
Sorry, but I just didn’t enjoy it. The content was fascinating, but “The Medici” fought against me every step of the way.
Sorry, but I just didn’t enjoy it. The content was fascinating, but “The Medici” fought against me every step of the way.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews