Ross King Knihy

Knihy, jak je známe dnes, vznikly až v době renesance. Nahradily krasopisně psané iluminované pergameny, které se prodávaly v krámcích připomínajících papírnictví. Jak k této revoluci došlo, vypráví autor na příběhu slavného knihkupce Vespasiana da Bisticciho. K práci v knihkupectví v takzvané knihkupecké ulici se Vespasiano dostal už jako malý chlapec, když musel kvůli dluhům svého otce skončit se školou. V následujících letech se vypracoval na krále evropských knihkupců, který tvořil na objednávku knížat i samotného papeže jedinečné rukopisy. Kromě toho také objevoval a popularizoval zapomenuté antické texty. To vše také díky tomu, že obyvatelé tehdejší Itálie rádi četli. V renesanční Florencii to uměl každý sedmý člověk, dokonce i ženy a dívky, což bylo mnohonásobně víc než v jiných evropských městech. Autor podrobně a věrohodně popisuje Florencii 15. století, každodennost v knihkupecké ulici a samotném knihkupectví, ale také milovníky knih, filosofy, učence i jeptišky, které byly prvními sazečkami. To vše na pozadí historických a politických zvratů, které renesanci a vznik knihtisku doprovázely.

A cryptic summons to a remote country house launches Isaac Inchbold, a London bookseller and antiquarian, on an odyssey through seventeenth-century Europe. Charged with the task of restoring a magnificent library destroyed by the war, Inchbold moves between Prague and the Tower Bridge in London, his fortunes-- and his life--hanging on his ability to recover a missing manuscript. Yet the lost volume is not what it seems, and his search is part of a treacherous game of underworld spies and smugglers, ciphers, and forgeries. Inchbold's adventure is compelling from beginning to end as Ross King vividly recreates the turmoil of Europe in the seventeenth century--the sacks of great cities; Raleigh's final voyage; the quest for occult knowledge; and a watery escape from three mysterious horsemen. A Book Sense 76 pick

New York Times bestseller A magnificent, never-before-published collection of every painting and fresco on display in the Uffizi, the Galleria Palatina of the Pitti Palace, the Accademia, and the Duomo, and more -- nearly 2,000 works of art -- all presented in a beautiful slipcased package. This stunning book provides a comprehensive look at the masterpieces housed in the Renaissance art capital of the world including the art of Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, Correggio, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Titian, Rembrandt, van Dyck, El Greco, and hundreds more. Ross King, bestselling author of Brunelleschi's Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, explores the history of art in Florence through seven introductory essays connecting the paintings, politics, the every day life of Florentines and how they influenced each other. Art historian Anja Grebe (author of The Louvre and The Vatican), highlights two hundred and fifty of the most iconic and significant paintings and frescoes around the historic city. This stunning showcase of the art capital of the world also includes two removable posters of Florence -- one from the Renaissance and one from the present day.

A gripping story of ancient wisdom, new technology and 'the king of the world's booksellers', set in Renaissance Florence 'A marvel of storytelling and a masterclass in the history of the book' WALL STREET JOURNAL The Renaissance in Florence conjures images of beautiful frescoes and elegant buildings - the dazzling handiwork of the city's artists and architects. But equally important were geniuses of another kind- Florence's manuscript hunters, scribes, scholars and booksellers. At a time where all books were made by hand, these people helped imagine a new and enlightened world.

This comprehensive introductory Korean textbook and language learning package is designed for beginning learners, making it suitable for first-year university courses or independent study. No prior knowledge of Korean is required. The new edition features a user-friendly format with numerous illustrations, presenting vocabulary and grammar in an accessible way. Extensive conversations and exercises reinforce language skills and enhance reading and listening comprehension. Included are an MP3 audio CD and a dedicated website, providing rich examples and new illustrations. The textbook offers detailed, non-technical grammar notes, ample writing exercises with an answer key, and authentic dialogue examples. Lessons are structured to build on one another, facilitating easy learning of the Korean alphabet, Hangul, enabling students to read and write authentic Korean quickly. A revised audio CD aids learners in speaking like a native, while a web-based practice component from the University of British Columbia extends learning beyond the book. With increasing enrollment in Korean courses at American universities, this textbook is a valuable resource. A companion workbook is also available, featuring ten activities per lesson to help practice and enhance conversational skills.

Mad Enchantment tells the full story behind the creation of the Water Lilies, as the horrors of World War I came ever closer to Paris and Giverny, and a new generation of younger artists, led by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, were challenging the achievements of Impressionism. By early 1914, French newspapers were reporting that Monet, by then 73 and one of the world's wealthiest, most celebrated painters, had retired his brushes. He had lost his beloved wife, Alice, and his eldest son, Jean. His famously acute vision--what Paul Cezanne called "the most prodigious eye in the history of painting"--Was threatened by cataracts. And yet, despite ill health, self-doubt, and advancing age, Monet began painting again on a more ambitious scale than ever before. Linking great artistic achievement to the personal and historical dramas unfolding around it, Ross King presents the most intimate and revealing portrait of an iconic figure in world culture--from his lavish lifestyle and tempestuous personality to his close friendship with the fiery war leader Georges Clemenceau, who regarded the Water Lilies as one of the highest expressions of the human spirit

In 1495, Leonardo da Vinci began what would become one of history's most influential works of art-The Last Supper. After a decade at the court of Lodovico Sforza, the duke of Milan, Leonardo was at a low point: at forty-three, he had failed, despite a number of prestigious commissions, to complete anything that truly fulfilled his astonishing promise. His latest failure was a giant bronze horse to honor Sforza's father, made with material expropriated by the military. The commission to paint The Last Supper was a small compensation, and his odds of completing it weren't promising: he hadn't worked on such a large painting and had no experience in the standard mural medium of fresco. Amid war and the political and religious turmoil around him, and beset by his own insecurities and frustrations, Leonardo created the masterpiece that would forever define him. Ross King unveils dozens of stories that are embedded in the painting, and overturns many of the myths surrounding it. Bringing to life a fascinating period in European history, he presents an original portrait of one of history's greatest geniuses through the lens of his most famous work.

In 1508, Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The thirty-three-year-old Michelangelo had very little experience of the physically and technically taxing art of fresco; and, at twelve thousand square feet, the ceiling represented one of the largest such projects ever attempted. Nevertheless, for the next four years he and a handpicked team of assistants laboured over the vast ceiling, making thousands of drawings and spending backbreaking hours on a scaffolding fifty feet about the floor. The result was one of the greatest masterpieces of all time.This fascinating book tells the story of those four extraordinary years and paints a magnificent picture of day-to-day life on the Sistine scaffolding — and outside, in the upheaval of early sixteenth-century Rome.

Focusing on the life and contributions of a pivotal figure in the Renaissance, this book explores the transformative impact of the printing press on knowledge dissemination. It highlights the dynamic environment of the era and the innovations that emerged, showcasing the author’s ability to bring historical figures to life while emphasizing the cultural and technological shifts that defined the period. The narrative reveals the excitement and challenges faced by a key player in the evolution of bookselling and information sharing.

Brunelleschi's Dome is the story of how a Renaissance man bent men, materials, and the very forces of nature to build an architectural wonder. Not a master mason or carpenter, Filippo Brunelleschi was a goldsmith and clock maker. Over twenty-eight years, he would dedicate himself to solving puzzles of the dome's construction. In the process, he did nothing less than reinvent the field of architecture. He engineered the perfect placement of brick and stone (some among the most renowned machines of the Renaissance) to carry an estimated seventy million pounds hundreds of feet into the air, and designed the workers' platforms and routines so carefully that only one man died during the decades of construction. This drama was played out amid plagues, wars, political feuds, and the intellectual ferments of Renaissance Florence - events Ross King weaves into a story to great effect. An American Library Association Best Book of the Year Boston Globe: "An absorbing tale." Los Angeles Times: "Ross King has a knack for explaining complicated processes in a manner that is not only lucid but downright intriguing... Fascinating."