Within the vast literature of the Renaissance, this is the one indispensable book: for the student who wants a guide to the complicated maze of Italian Renaissance political history; the scholar who needs a convenient, unified reference source; the art lover who wants to check facts and discover the background to the masterpieces of painting and sculpture; the traveler in Italy who wants to understand the great works of art and architecture in their context; and also the general reader who wants to find out more about this fascinating and important historical and cultural epoch.