The Prince (Italian: Il Principe [il ˈprintʃipe]; Latin: De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of The Prince is of accepting that the aims of princes – such as glory and survival – can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.From Machiavelli's correspondence, a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus (Of Principalities). However, the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death. This was carried out with the permission of the Medici pope Clement VII, but "long before then, in fact since the first appearance of The Prince in manuscript, controversy had swirled about his writings".Although The Prince was written as if it were a traditional work in the mirrors for princes style, it was generally agreed as being especially innovative. This is partly because it was written in the vernacular Italian rather than Latin, a practice that had become increasingly popular since the publication of Dante's Divine Comedy and other works of Renaissance literature. Read more

A “marvelous” (Economist) account of how the Christian Revolution forged the Western imagination.   Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion-an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus-was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughout history. Today, the West remains utterly saturated by Christian assumptions. As Tom Holland demonstrates, our morals and ethics are not universal but are instead the fruits of a very distinctive civilization. Concepts such as secularism, liberalism, science, and homosexuality are deeply rooted in a Christian seedbed. From Babylon to the Beatles, Saint Michael to #MeToo, Dominion tells the story of how Christianity transformed the modern world.   Read more

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn the second volume of his epic trilogy about the liberation of Europe in World War II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the harrowing story of the campaigns in Sicily and ItalyIn An Army at Dawn—winner of the Pulitzer Prize—Rick Atkinson provided a dramatic and authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa. Now, in The Day of Battle, he follows the strengthening American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943 and then, mile by bloody mile, fight their way north toward Rome.The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, Roosevelt, Churchill, and their military advisers engaged in heated debate about whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even a good idea. But once under way, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizingly high price. The battles at Salerno, Anzio, and Monte Cassino were particularly difficult and lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to drive the Germans up the Italian peninsula. Led by Lieutenant General Mark Clark, one of the war's most complex and controversial commanders, American officers and soldiers became increasingly determined and proficient. And with the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory at last began to seem inevitable.Drawing on a wide array of primary source material, written with great drama and flair, this is narrative history of the first rank. With The Day of Battle, Atkinson has once again given us the definitive account of one of history's most compelling military campaigns. Read more

At its height Renaissance Florence was a centre of enormous wealth, power and influence. A republican city-state funded by trade and banking, its often bloody political scene was dominated by rich mercantile families, the most famous of which were the Medici. This enthralling book charts the family’s huge influence on the political, economic and cultural history of Florence. Beginning in the early 1430s with the rise of the dynasty under the near-legendary Cosimo de Medici, it moves through their golden era as patrons of some of the most remarkable artists and architects of the Renaissance, to the era of the Medici Popes and Grand Dukes, Florence’s slide into decay and bankruptcy, and the end, in 1737, of the Medici line. Read more

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The New York Times bestselling, award winning story of the construction of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and the Renaissance genius who reinvented architecture to build it.On August 19, 1418, a competition concerning Florence's magnificent new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore was announced: "Whoever desires to make any model or design for the vaulting of the main Dome....shall do so before the end of the month of September." The proposed dome was regarded far and wide as all but impossible to build: not only would it be enormous, but its original and sacrosanct design shunned the flying buttresses that supported cathedrals all over Europe. The dome would literally need to be erected over thin air.Of the many plans submitted, one stood out--a daring and unorthodox solution to vaulting what is still the largest dome in the world. It was offered not by a master mason or carpenter, but by a goldsmith and clockmaker named Filippo Brunelleschi, then forty-one, who would dedicate the next twenty-eight years to solving the puzzles of the dome's construction. In the process, he reinvented the field of architecture.Brunelleschi's Dome is the story of how a Renaissance genius bent men, materials, and the very forces of nature to build an architectural wonder we continue to marvel at today. Award-winning, bestselling author Ross King weaves this drama amid a background of the plagues, wars, political feuds, and the intellectual ferments of Renaissance Florence to bring the dome's creation to life in a fifteenth-century chronicle with twenty-first-century resonance. Read more

✦ NEW EDITION (SEPTEMBER 2024) ✦Ready to Read, Write, and Speak Italian in Just 30 Days?According to a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Study: "Adults can learn a new language as easily as a child".. you only have to know how, so keep reading…Say “arrivederci” to lengthy learning hours, as our science-based method inspired by strategies from polyglots (who speak 5+ languages fluently), integrates 15-minute lessons tailored for adults on a hectic schedule, and easy-to-digest chapters to facilitate memorization.Here's what you'll get:Book 1: Learn The Essential Grammar Rules You'll Ever Need, with:Short, well-structured lessons designed to reach a CEFR-Level A2 (pre-intermediate) of language proficiency!50+ effective yet simple exercises that will turbocharge your Italian writing skills, helping you progress quickly.The 10% of the language you'll use 90% of the time in real-life conversations, no pointless memorization.Book 2: Elevate Your Conversation Skills for Seamless Interactions, with:600+ easy-to-memorize Italian words and indispensable phrases tailored for your everyday life.Everyday words and phrases to become comfortable in any situations: navigating, restaurants, shopping..Understanding the nuances between European and South American Italian, common words and slang.Book 3: Immerse in Interactive Content to Boost Your Language Skills, with:Authentic and engaging Short Stories + real-life dialogues that reflect everyday situations.Vocab lists highlighting the most crucial words in each story to enrich your vocabulary.A clear pronunciation guide to effortlessly sound like a native speaker.You thought that was it?Discover these 6 additional resources you’ll only find here:Full Audiobook Version ($50 Value)2 Travel Tips & Money-Saving Strategies eBooks ($30 Value)Pronunciation Audio with stories, phrases, words and dialogues ($30 Value)TOP 100 Most Common Words & Phrases List ($20 Value)Printable Flashcards ($25 Value)Practice Worksheets ($15 Value)Plus, get these 2 extra perks to guarantee your success:Learn Italian for Adult Beginners Video Course: Claim your access to 128 hours of Masterclass guided by a certified teacher ($297 Value)30-Day Study Plan: Unlock your accelerated progress and achieve your language goals ($47 Value)That's $620 worth of retail value for the price you see today! That's just a fraction of what traditional language schools are charging nowadays.To summarize: You’re getting this value-packed Italian learning bundle that includes:3 workbooks packed into 18 exclusive resources + Premium access to video & audio contentA modern science-based method to fast-track you to Italian fluencyScroll up, Click 'Buy Now' to join our 5,000+ students and kickstart your journey to fluency today. See you inside!DISCLAIMER: This book is entirely human-made, without any involvement of artificial intelligence (AI) tools or algorithms. Read more

The indispensable account of the Ottoman Empire’s Siege of Malta from the author of Hannibal and Gibraltar. In the first half of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was thought to be invincible. Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman sultan, had expanded his empire from western Asia to southeastern Europe and North Africa. To secure control of the Mediterranean between these territories and launch an offensive into western Europe, Suleiman needed the small but strategically crucial island of Malta. But Suleiman’s attempt to take the island from the Holy Roman Empire’s Knights of St. John would emerge as one of the most famous and brutal military defeats in history. Forty-two years earlier, Suleiman had been victorious against the Knights of St. John when he drove them out of their island fortress at Rhodes. Believing he would repeat this victory, the sultan sent an armada to Malta. When they captured Fort St. Elmo, the Ottoman forces ruthlessly took no prisoners. The Roman grand master La Vallette responded by having his Ottoman captives beheaded. Then the battle for Malta began in earnest: no quarter asked, none given. Ernle Bradford’s compelling and thoroughly researched account of the Great Siege of Malta recalls not just an epic battle, but a clash of civilizations unlike anything since the time of Alexander the Great. It is “a superior, readable treatment of an important but little-discussed epic from the Renaissance past . . . An astonishing tale” (Kirkus Reviews). Read more

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A dramatic account of some of the most notorious figures of medieval and Renaissance history who ruled from the Eternal City. It is sure to grip readers of John Julius Norwich, Tom Holland and Peter Ackroyd.The papal tiara has been worn by a number of infamous men through the course of its history.Some have been accused of murder, many have had mistresses, while others sold positions in the church to their followers or gave land and wealth to their illegitimate children.E. R. Chamberlin examines the lives of eight of the most controversial popes to have ruled over the Holy See, from the reign of Pope Stephen VI, who had his predecessor exhumed, put on trial and thrown in the Tiber, in the ninth century, through to Pope Clement VII, the second Medici pope, whose failed international policy led to the Sack of Rome in 1527.The Bad Popes explains how during these six centuries the papal monarchy rose to its greatest heights, as popes attempted to assert not only their spiritual authority but also their temporal power, only for it to come crashing down.“A magnificent piece of historic research and description” Los Angeles Times“A vital and important book” Washington Post“[Chamberlin] writes well, even elegantly. One fancies echoes now and then of Tacitus and Gibbon … an interesting historical essay” Daily Telegraph“One is sincerely grateful to Mr Chamberlin for a vivid book” Catholic Herald“Mr Chamberlin's book strikes me as being as near to the ideal as is reasonably possible: scrupulously fair, meticulously documented and written with style, liveliness and wit” The Bulletin Read more

A dazzling history of the modest family that rose to become one of the most powerful in Europe, The Medici is a remarkably modern story of power, money, and ambition. Against the background of an age that saw the rebirth of ancient and classical learning Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence, as well as the Italian Renaissance which they did so much to sponsor and encourage.Strathern also follows the lives of many of the great Renaissance artists with whom the Medici had dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello; as well as scientists like Galileo and Pico della Mirandola; and the fortunes of those members of the Medici family who achieved success away from Florence, including the two Medici popes and Catherine de' Médicis, who became Queen of France and played a major role in that country through three turbulent reigns. Read more

One of The Economist's Books of the YearA provocative, entertaining account of Italy's diverse riches, its hopes and dreams, its past and presentDid Garibaldi do Italy a disservice when he helped its disparate parts achieve unity? Was the goal of political unification a mistake? The question is asked and answered in a number of ways in The Pursuit of Italy, an engaging, original consideration of the many histories that contribute to the brilliance—and weakness—of Italy today.David Gilmour's wonderfully readable exploration of Italian life over the centuries is filled with provocative anecdotes as well as personal observations, and is peopled by the great figures of the Italian past—from Cicero and Virgil to the controversial politicians of the twentieth century. His wise account of the Risorgimento debunks the nationalistic myths that surround it, though he paints a sympathetic portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, a beloved hero of the era.Gilmour shows that the glory of Italy has always lain in its regions, with their distinctive art, civic cultures, identities, and cuisines. Italy's inhabitants identified themselves not as Italians but as Tuscans and Venetians, Sicilians and Lombards, Neapolitans and Genoese. Italy's strength and culture still come from its regions rather than from its misconceived, mishandled notion of a unified nation. Read more

In this dramatic journey through religious and artistic history, R. A. Scotti traces the defining event of a glorious epoch: the building of St. Peter's Basilica. Begun by the ferociously ambitious Pope Julius II in 1506, the endeavor would span two tumultuous centuries, challenge the greatest Renaissance masters—Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bramante—and enrage Martin Luther. By the time it was completed, Shakespeare had written all of his plays, the Mayflower had reached Plymouth—and Rome had risen with its astounding basilica to become Europe's holy metropolis. A dazzling portrait of human achievement and excess, Basilica is a triumph of historical writing. Read more

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✦ NEW EDITION 2025 ✦🇮🇹 Master Italian with Confidence from Absolute Beginner to Advanced Speaker, and Reach CEFR-Level C1 (Advanced) 🇮🇹Say “Ciao” to lengthy learning hours, as our science-based method inspired by strategies from polyglots (who speak 5+ languages fluently), integrates 15-minute lessons tailored for adults on a hectic schedule, and easy-to-digest chapters to facilitate memorization.This 8-in-1 Value-Packed Bundle includes:Book 1: Beginner level 15-minute lessons & interactive exercisesBook 2: Intermediate level 15-minute lessons & interactive exercisesBook 3: Essential words and phrases to use everyday!Book 4: More useful words and phrases to enrich your dialoguesBook 5: Beginner & intermediate level short stories with translationBook 6: Advanced level 15-minute lessons & interactive exercisesBook 7: Advanced level dialogues and conversations to perfect your skillsBook 8: Advanced level short stories with translationElevate Your Conversation Skills for Seamless Interactions, with:Short, well-structured lessons designed to reach a CEFR-Level C1 (Advanced) of language proficiency!150+ effective yet simple exercises that will turbocharge your Italian writing skills, helping you progress quickly.The 10% of the language you'll use 90% of the time in real-life conversations, no pointless memorization.2,000+ easy-to-memorize Italian words and indispensable phrases tailored for your everyday life.Everyday words and phrases to become comfortable in any situations: navigating, restaurants, shopping..Understanding the nuances between European and South American Italian, common words and slang.Authentic and engaging Short Stories (with English translation) + real-life dialogues that reflect everyday situations.Vocabulary lists highlighting the most crucial words in each story to enrich your vocabulary.A clear pronunciation guide to effortlessly sound like a native speaker.You thought that was it?Discover these 6 exclusive bonuses you’ll only find here:Audiobook Version ($69 Value)2 Travel Tips & Money-Saving Strategies eBooks ($30 Value)Pronunciation Audio with stories, phrases, words and dialogues ($30 Value)TOP 100 Most Common Words & Phrases List ($20 Value)Printable Flashcards ($25 Value)Practice Worksheets ($15 Value)Plus, get these 2 extra bonuses to Guarantee your Success:Learn Italian for Adult Beginners Video Course: Claim your access to 128 hours of Masterclass guided by a certified teacher ($297 Value)30-Day Study Plan: Unlock your accelerated progress and achieve your language goals ($47 Value)That's $850+ worth of retail value for the price you see today! That's just a fraction of what traditional language schools are charging nowadays.To summarize: You’re getting this value-packed Italian learning bundle that includes:8 books packed into 18 exclusive bonuses + Premium access to audio contentA modern science-based method to fast-track you to Italian fluencyScroll up, Click 'Buy Now' to join our 5,000+ students and kickstart your journey to fluency today. See you inside!DISCLAIMER: This book is entirely human-made, without any involvement of artificial intelligence (AI) tools or algorithms. Read more

An extraordinary chronicle of Venice, its people, and its grandeurThomas Madden’s majestic, sprawling history of Venice is the first full portrait of the city in English in almost thirty years. Using long-buried archival material and a wealth of newly translated documents, Madden weaves a spellbinding story of a place and its people, tracing an arc from the city’s humble origins as a lagoon refuge to its apex as a vast maritime empire and Renaissance epicenter to its rebirth as a modern tourist hub.Madden explores all aspects of Venice’s breathtaking achievements: the construction of its unparalleled navy, its role as an economic powerhouse and birthplace of capitalism, its popularization of opera, the stunning architecture of its watery environs, and more. He sets these in the context of the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire, the endless waves of Crusades to the Holy Land, and the awesome power of Turkish sultans. And perhaps most critically, Madden corrects the stereotype of Shakespeare’s money-lending Shylock that has distorted the Venetian character, uncovering instead a much more complex and fascinating story, peopled by men and women whose ingenuity and deep faith profoundly altered the course of civilization. Read more

IMAGINE ELIZABETH BETTINA’S SURPRISE when she discovered that her grandmother’s village had a secret: over a half century ago, many of Campagna’s residents defied the Nazis and risked their lives to shelter and save hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust. What followed her discovery became an adventure as she uncovered fascinating untold stories of Jews in Italy during World War II and the many Italians who risked everything to save them. “Finally, somebody made known the courage and the empathy of the majority of the Italian people toward us Jews at a time of great danger.” —Nino Asocoli Read more

In 476 A.D. the Western Roman Empire fell. Romans would never again rule vast swathes of the western Mediterranean, instead these lands would fall to Vandals, Visigoths, Franks and various other tribes that Romans had formerly called ‘barbarians’.The Roman Empire as the ancient world had known it had gone, this was now the Dark Ages.Yet Charles Oman shines light upon this frequently forgotten period and explores how even though Rome had fallen and many changes had occurred there were also great continuities. Although Rome may have fallen the Eastern Empire, centered at Constantinople, continued to thrive, in many ways continuing what the Roman Empire had always done since the days of Augustus, but also developing new judicial systems to govern its vast lands as well as encouraging new forms of art and architecture.Even in the power vacuum that was left after 476 A.D. Western Europe did not descend completely into darkness, instead in the wake of Rome’s collapse many new powerful empires emerged that looked to Rome for support, most notably the Frankish Empire under Charlemagne.Oman through the course of this incredibly detailed work uncovers fascinatingly vibrant figures from Theodoric the Great, who dominated Italy in the early sixth century, to Charles Martel, who halted the Islamic advance at the battle of Tours, thus demonstrating through the conflict of this period the foundations of modern Europe were laid. Charles Oman was a British historian.Through the course of his life he wrote on a wide number of subjects from ancient history to Napoleonic military history. His work The Dark Ages was first published in 1893. Unlike some previous editions we have decided to join all three books into one single volume. He passed away in 1946. Read more

The classic memoir of the Italian city left in chaos by the Nazis is “[a] masterpiece . . . elegiac and furious, and frequently hilarious” (The New York Times).   “Vivid, lucid, elegant, often funny,” Naples ’44 is the starkly human account of the true cost of war as seen through the eyes of a young, untested man who would never again look at his world the same way (The New York Times Book Review).   With his gift for linguistics, Norman Lewis was assigned to the British Intelligence Corps’ Field Security Service, tasked with reforming civil services, dealing with local leaders, and keeping the peace in places World War II had devastated.   After a near-disastrous Allied landing at Salerno, Italy, Lewis was stationed in the newly liberated city of Naples. But bringing the city back to life was unlike anything he had been prepared for. Much of the populace was far from grateful, stealing anything they could, not only from each other but also from those sent to help them. Local vendettas and endless feuds made discerning friend from Nazi collaborator practically impossible, and turned attempts at meting out justice into a farce. And as the deprivations grew ever harsher, a proud and vibrant people were forced to survive on a diet of prostitution, corruption, and a desperate belief in miracles, cures, and saviors.   But even through the darkness and chaos, Lewis evokes the essential dignity of the Neapolitan people, their traditions of civility, courage, and generosity of spirit, and the indefatigable pride that kept them fighting for life during the greatest calamity in human history.   Praised by Graham Greene as “one of the best writers . . . of our century,” Norman Lewis presents a portrait of Naples that is a “lyrical, ironic and detached account of the tempestuous, byzantine and opaque city in the aftermath of war” (Will Self). His Naples ’44 “reads like prose . . . sings like poetry” (The Plain Dealer). Read more

A fast-paced narrative about the world-famous libertine Giacomo Casanova, from celebrated biographer Leo Damrosch  “A nuanced, deftly contextualized biography of an adventurer, an opportunist, and a man of voracious appetites . . . another top-notch work from Damrosch.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   “An eye-opening and well-informed study of an ‘extraordinary character’ in all his darkness and brilliance.”—Publishers Weekly   The life of the iconic libertine Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798) has never been told in the depth it deserves. An alluring representative of the Enlightenment’s shadowy underside, Casanova was an aspiring priest, an army officer, a fortune teller, a con man, a magus, a violinist, a mathematician, a Masonic master, an entrepreneur, a diplomat, a gambler, a spy—and the first to tell his own story. In his vivid autobiography Histoire de Ma Vie, he recorded at least a hundred and twenty love affairs, as well as dramatic sagas of duels, swindles, arrests, and escapes. He knew kings and an empress, Catherine the Great, and most of the famous writers of the time, including Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin.   Drawing on seldom used materials, including the original French and Italian primary sources, and probing deeply into the psychology, self-conceptions, and self-deceptions of one of the world’s most famous con men and seducers, Leo Damrosch offers a gripping, mature, and devastating account of an Enlightenment man, freed from the bounds of moral convictions. Read more