The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance: A Sourcebook

by Kenneth R. Bartlett

The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance offers material drawn from the fourteenth to the early sixteenth centuries surveying the social, economic, political, cultural, and intellectual history of Renaissance Italy. The diverse documents include court records, poetry, fiction, ricordanze, courtesy books, letters, maxims, histories, and humanist treatises.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Italy, Renaissance, Reference

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 1991

About the author

Kenneth Bartlett is a professor of History & Renaissance Studies at the University of Toronto. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, where he served as the editor of Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Reforme and president of the Canadian Society for Renaissance Studies. He has received multiple teaching awards and was appointed the first director of the Officer of Teaching Advancement for the University of Toronto. Professor Bartlett has written three books, including Humanism and the Northern Renaissance.

Reviews

[Piper Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book for a research paper on the promotion of education during the Renaissance period in the fifteenth century. I used so many of the sources included in this book. Overall, it is an interesting book to read if you are interested in the subject.

[Ted Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it refreshing to read biographies from the Middle Ages by their contemporaries, keeping in mind the biases involved. Writing about someone such as a Medici when in Florence forced one to carefully choose one’s words. The pervasive Catholic presence, the devastating effects of the Plague, the ever present threat of invasion by the “Great Powers”, these all create an immersive atmosphere that surrounds one whilst reading this book. A very educational read.

[Dami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading for my HISTORY class: The Renaissance

[Leslie Wexler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is primary source readings including many records from Italian city states - tax forms, government policies, and some personal letters from people like Machiavelli, Pico della Mirandola, etc.

A little dry.

[Jonathan]

None

[Loree Iverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great starting-point for primary source study from the Renaissance Era. Divided among various themes: women, the church, education, etc.