Within the vast literature of the Renaissance this is the one indispensable book: for the student who wants a guide to take him through the complicated maze if 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 traveller in Italy who wants to understand the great works of art and architecture in their context; and also the general reader who knows that the Renaissance is a fascinating and important historical and cultural epoch, and wants to find his way into it. In some 750 alphabetical entries the internationally eminent Renaissance scholar John Hale and his team of 30 distinguished co-authors cover every aspect of history and culture. There is a wealth of entries dealing with general themes, from history to humor, patronage to prostitution, technology to town planning, as well as the important names in music, art, science, literature, scholarship, politics and religion, towns and states, wars and treaties. A subject-listing of all the entries -- biographies as well as general themes -- combines with intelligent, clear cross-referencing and essential further reading is listed within entries. Relevant illustration, clear maps, family trees, tables of succession graphically displayed in a single time chart, and a glossary of Italian terms complete the supporting apparatus of this brilliant reference work. Sir John Rigby Hale (1923 - 1999) was a British historian and translator, best known for his Renaissance studies. He attended Jesus College, Oxford (B.A., 1948, M.A., 1953) and Johns Hopkins University and Harvard. He was a Fellow of the British Academy and Emeritus Professor of Italian History at University College, London, where he was head of the Italian Department from 1970 until his retirement in 1988.