14世紀から17世紀にかけ、古典古代の文化復興を契機にヨーロッパ全土に波及した文化運動、ルネサンス。美術や文学だけでなく、建築、科学、商業など、幅広い分野において転換期となったこの時代を見据え、その主な特徴をわかりやすく解説します。
   

• First clear and concise account of the Renaissance as a global phenomenon as opposed to a purely European event. An important new vision of the Renaissance for the 21st century by a young Renaissance scholar of a new generation.
• Controversially disputes traditional view of a single Renaissance - proposing that this was a vibrant cultural period when western and eastern cultures mixed to great mutual benefit
• Considers the Renaissance in terms of both science and the arts.
• Offers both a comprehensive overview of a global Renaissance and a new view of the role of the East in the development of the European Renaissance.
• Argues that there are significant parallels between the Renaissance and our own era.

   
More than ever before, the Renaissance stands as one of the defining moments in world history. Between 1400 and 1600, European perceptions of society, culture, politics and even humanity itself emerged in ways that continue to affect not only Europe but the entire world. 
 
This wide-ranging exploration of the Renaissance sees the period as a time of unprecedented intellectual excitement and cultural experimentation and interaction on a global scale, alongside a darker side of religion, intolerance, slavery, and massive inequality of wealth and status. It guides the reader through the key issues that defined the period, from its art, architecture, and literature, to advancements in the fields of science, trade, and travel. In its incisive account of the complexities of the political and religious upheavals of the period, the book argues that Europe's reciprocal relationship with its eastern neighbours offers us a timely perspective on the Renaissance that still has much to teach us today.