The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860) is a work of art history by Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt. Recognized today as the founder of modern art history and as one of the key thinkers of the nineteenth century, Burckhardt changed not only the way we think about the Renaissance in relation to European and world history, but the value placed on art as a tool for understanding historical developments. The Civilization of the Renaissance...

"This compelling novel takes the reader into the tumultuous period of the Renaissance and the origins of Leonardo da Vinci, the bastard child of a notary. Of da Vinci, the eminent art historian Kenneth Clark wrote, "no more complex and mysterious character ever existed than this Hamlet of art history." Clark noted that one had to be "familiar with all of Leonardo's writings in their chronological order (and) the state of learning in the Renaissance...

"The score of Western music was writ large during the Renaissance. Secular music rivaled church music for prominence, harmonic lines intertwined and changed music forever with the emergence of polyphony, and, in general, musical composition was taken to new heights. The composers and musicians who provided the soundtrack to this remarkable period are the subject of this comprehensive volume, which also takes an in-depth look at instruments of the...

"The ingenuity evidenced during the Renaissance was not just limited to the fine arts. A number of scientists and inventors also made astonishing breakthroughs in astronomy, medicine, physics, and more. Readers examine the scientific revolution, profiling Isaac Newton, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo, and many other great thinkers who transformed the scientific and mechanical worlds."--

After learning how to fight at a young age, Oroonoko, an African prince, fights alongside his army against invading forces. When a celebrated general saves Oroonoko's life, trading his own to take an arrow for Oroonoko, the young prince feels indebted to the man and decides to go pay his respects to the late general's family. There, he meets Imoinda, the daughter of the general. Oroonoko and Imoinda quickly fall in love and become betrothed, but the...

"Alex has decided to create a graphic novel to complete his fourth grade assignment on the Renaissance. His pencil is nearly worn out when his father returns from an archaeological dig and suggests Alex get a replacement pencil from his bag to complete the assignment. Alex uses the borrowed pencil to draw a monster that a knight must put a stop in order to save the village and its inhabitants. When he wakes up the next morning, the paper is blank...

The real Dracula was far from Bram Stoker's well-mannered aristocrat. Better known as Vlad the Impaler, he was named for his favoured execution method: running a spear through his victim's lower body, then standing them upright so it skewered their vital organs. In a world ruled by petty tyrants and constantly at war, the young Dracula was held hostage by the Turks while his father was assassinated and his brother was buried alive. Finally released,...

In Italy in 1491, Mangus the magician and his apprentice are summoned to the castle of Duke Claudio to determine if his daughter is indeed being haunted by a ghost.

Most notable for his vast poem, The Divine Comedy, Dante's work continues to resonate with audiences today. Filmmaker Malcolm Hossick uncovers the Italian poet's background and his influential work from the Renaissance period.

A romance set on the highways of old EnglandOn a cool crisp night in the Epping Forest, a stagecoach was moving amongst the shadows of a full silver moon."the moonlight gives the forest a magical glow", said Mary Gregory a passenger in the coach. The other passenger was her brother, Magistrate Sir Thomas Gregory, but he thought it felt less magical but more eerie and dangerous. He was seeing highwaymen and footpads in every shadow. The driver was...