The Renaissance holds an undying place in our imagination; its great heroes still our own, from Michelangelo and Leonardo to Dante and Chaucer. This period of profound evolution in European thought is credited with transforming the West from medieval to modern and producing the most astonishing outpouring of artistic creation the world has ever known. But what was it? In this masterly work, the incomparable Paul Johnson tells us. He explains the economic,...

Here is an exporation of a promising theory that, when put into practice, wreaked havoc on the world. An expert on communism, Richard Pipes follows the history of the Soviet Union from the 1917 revolution to the Cold War, and finally, to its deterioration and collapse.

This entertaining volume provides a concise history of one of the world's premiere cities. Acclaimed author A.N. Wilson starts at the beginning, when London was founded by the Romans, and continues to contemporary times, hitting all the historical highlights along the way.

From the late 12th century through the 17th centuries, the Catholic Church and the "Reformed" churches stuggled for control of the population in Europe. Traditional Roman Catholic practices were questioned: indulgences, penitential works, pilgrimage, and the worship of saints, the monastic life. The Scriptures were reinterpreted and Christianity redefined as men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley and others gained prominence. The sovereignty...