The Renaissance: The Story of Civilization, Volume V

I remember reading this in Grad School and thinking that I just read a work of genius, a masterpiece. Rereading it 25 years later and my admiration has only grown. Will and Ariel Durant make history come alive with their extensive research, eye for detail and their talent for story telling. I have read every book in their History of Civilization series and it has been time well spent.

This is my least favorite book in the Story of Civilization series, but it is still a five star book. Most histories of the Renaissance tend to focus on art and artists; so does this one, which slows down the narrative considerably, but there are also fascinating accounts of princes and popes that liven up the story. The question must be asked: does great art make a civilization great, or does it lead to its decline and downfall? Other nations that have not flourished so brilliantly in the arts have been more politically, economically, and militarily successful. And is it true, as Durant asserts, that "money is the root of civilization"? This is a stimulating and provocative book, despite its preoccupation with visual art, and much more accessible to the layman than most other works on the subject. A work of art in itself.

I am reading the entire set of history books by Will and Arial Durant. This is volume five, and it is no less readable and thorough than the previous volumes. I especially liked the biographies of all the famous characters I've always heard about.

We read chapters from the Durant as a prelude to a month in Tuscany. It is a timeless classic meticulously telling the story of the Renaissance, its places and it's people, sometimes with surprising anecdotes. This copy was downloaded to use as a reference on our IPad while we were touring, and gave us invaluable insights.

Super writing, little invention, and the best kind of history book in a great series written together with author's one wife. Score one for Mrs. Gipper too. Read it and read the books which came before this one and those after.

I loved this books as a child, and find them nice to reread. I found that the writing style was easy for me to read, and I wasn't as bored as when I was in class. Some of the things in them don't agree with current ideas, but in a way that makes them charming.

As usual, Will and Ariel Durant have a flare for great American writing...at its best. They give a broad and thorough overview of the Renaissance.

Great narrative history. After reading Barbara Tuchman, Alison Weir and Shelby Foote I thought I was running out of historians who wrote with an emphasis on story and lyrical prose. But I only needed to go back a little further in time. It seems Will Durant was the father of modern narrative history.

I've read 4 other brilliantly written and researched books by Durant, but after going through this book my admiration of this author turned into awe: the amount of information he provides the reader with (even if you have experience in enjoying such volumes and know the difference betw. Verocchio and Pinturicchio) is unmeasurable. After being through half of the book facts and life-stories of all universally and hardly-so-well-known politicians, humanists, popes, sculptors, artists, philosophers, kings and merchants and a hundred of other notable personae began to choke me and I couldn't finish the book, to my shame.Unfortunately, however dedicated only to one country (Italy) and even describing rise and fall of glory separate Italian cities, the book does not provide such ineteresting details on life and customs (food, housing, men-woman relations) of menfolk in general, so to say "a human touch" is missing, as it has been amazingly accomplished in Durant's books on Greece, Rome and medieval Europe. It seems that all tremendous geniuses that lived in that period overshadow their contemporaries with their grandeur and achievements.But if you need to write a thesis on any theme concerning Reneissance Italy, I would recommend this book. Or read it by chapetrs, as several books.

Good. Received the product on time