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To leaf through Barzun's sweeping, densely detailed but lightly written survey of the last 500 years is to ride a whirlwind of world-changing events. Barzun ponders, for instance, the tumultuous political climate of Renaissance Italy, which yielded mayhem and chaos, but also the work of Michelangelo and Leonardo--and, he adds, the scientific foundations for today's consumer culture of boom boxes and rollerblades. He considers the 16th-century varieties of religious experimentation that arose in the wake of Martin Luther's 95 theses, some of which led to the repression of individual personality, others of which might easily have come from the "Me Decade." Along the way, he offers a miniature history of the detective novel, defends Surrealism from its detractors, and derides the rise of professional sports, packing in a wealth of learned and often barbed asides.
Never shy of controversy, Barzun writes from a generally conservative position; he insists on the importance of moral values, celebrates the historical contributions of Christopher Columbus, and twits the academic practitioners of political correctness. Whether accepting of those views or not, even the most casual reader will find much that is new or little-explored in this attractive venture into cultural history. --Gregory McNamee
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Book Description Condition: Good. Light creasing to softcover. Scuffed indside back cover. Marked textblock edge. first page is clipped. Content is in very good, clean condition. Seller Inventory # 002312-16-05-2024-LMC
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. xviii 877p large paperback, illustrated cover with gilt lettering, good condition, light wear to covers and edges, small bookplate to title page, light pencil marks to a few pages, generally very neat and bright, a good copy from the bookshelf of a Cambridge historian Language: English. Seller Inventory # 221334
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. First Thus. 876 pages. Excellent, clean and tightly bound copy. Previous owner's name inked on first page. Size: Approx 6" Wide and 9" Tall. Seller Inventory # 004069