Peter Burke (1) (1937–)

This is a good and fairly readable introduction to the Italian Renaissance; for those interested in the topic, it seems like a decent introduction -- it worked for me. That said, it's got more than its share of problems as well. First, a minor complaint: the art in the book should have been printed in full color, not black and white. Black and white reproductions of Renaissance art are about as worthless as three-dollar bills; the viewer completely misses the beauty of the art and so the show more inclusion of it at all is a waste of time. My major complaint: The constant need to reference Marxist and feminist historiography was obnoxious. Hegel, through Marx, has severely damaged the history of Western culture, and this book is evidence of that. Viewing the Renaissance in the 21st century through the lens of 19th century movements like Marxism and feminism produces anachronism, inaccuracy, and projection -- in other words, it makes for bad history. If you can get past that, it's not a bad book. show less

Leitura excelente para entender bem as questões que envolvem as trocas culturais, que sempre houveram e que continuam agindo no que chamamos de globalização.
Devia ser obrigatório para pseudo ativistas e justiceiros sociais de diversas matizes, que falam muita bobagem, misturando jargões acadêmicos com expressões do 4 ano do ensino básico.
Enfim, um livro pequeno, excelente, que pode ser relido e consultado.

Peter Burke analiza los procesos sociales y culturales que transformaron la producción, preservación y transmisión del conocimiento en Europa entre la invención de la imprenta y la Ilustración. Examina cómo el saber se institucionalizó y cómo surgieron nuevas figuras intelectuales y redes de difusión.

An extremely brief introduction to the Annales school of history. A nice overview, but not terribly analytical. Probably best used to get a sense of who some of the key Annales figures were/are.