"Essays on Darwinism" by Thomas Roscoe Rede Stebbing is a critical examination of Charles Darwin's theories and their implications for science and philosophy. Stebbing, a prominent biologist and philosopher, delves into the nuances of Darwin's ideas, exploring the impact of natural selection and evolution on our understanding of life. His essays challenge readers to consider the broader implications of Darwinism, not just in biology but also in ethics and society, making it a significant c...

Luigi Lanzi's The History of Painting in Italy is a foundational survey of Italian art from the revival of painting after the Middle Ages through the regional schools of the Renaissance and Baroque. Organized by schools rather than by isolated biographies, it combines close stylistic observation with historical classification, distinguishing Florentine, Venetian, Roman, Lombard, Bolognese, and other traditions. Its prose reflects Enlightenment habits of order, comparison, and critical judg...

In "Tales of Humour, Gallantry & Romance, Selected and Translated from the Italian," the anonymous translator curates a rich tapestry of Italian narrative traditions that harmoniously intertwine humor, chivalry, and tender affection. Characterized by a lively and engaging prose style, each tale blends vivid imagery with whimsical characterizations, reflecting the cultural nuances of Italy'Äôs diverse regions. The text showcases a spectrum of voices and perspectives, capturing the multiface...

Luigi Lanzi's 'The History of Italian Painting' is a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the evolution of Italian painting from its earliest manifestations to the Renaissance period. Lanzi skillfully dissects the artistic movements, techniques, and themes that defined Italian painting, offering a detailed analysis that showcases his profound knowledge of the subject. His writing style is academic yet accessible, making this book suitable for both scholars and enthusiasts of art his...

In "My Ten Years' Imprisonment," Silvio Pellico presents a poignant autobiographical account of his incarceration within the Austrian prisons of Venice, where he was held as a political prisoner for his nationalistic beliefs during the Risorgimento. The narrative eloquently captures the psychological and spiritual turmoil of confinement, conveyed through a lyrical prose that emphasizes emotional depth and moral reflection. Pellico's work is not merely a recounting of suffering; it intertwi...

The History of Painting in Italy offers a rigorous survey of the peninsula's schools from the Trecento to the late eighteenth century, balancing connoisseurial attention to technique with a lucid taxonomy of regional styles. Lanzi maps the interplay of disegno and colorito, traces lineages from Giotto through Raphael, Titian, Correggio, and the Carracci, and corrects partisan narratives by grounding judgments in autopsy, documents, and inscriptions. His prose is sober and precise, embodyin...

Silvio Pellico was born at Saluzzo, in North Italy, in the year of the fall of the Bastille, 1789. His health as a child was feeble, his temper gentle, and he had the instincts of a poet. Before he was ten years old he had written a tragedy on a theme taken from Macpherson's Ossian. His chief delight as a boy was in acting plays with other children, and he acquired from his father a strong interest in the patriotic movements of the time. He fastened upon French literature during a stay of som...

A painter and architect in his own right, Giorgio Vasari (1511-74) achieved immortality for this book on the lives of his fellow Renaissance artists, first published in Florence in 1550. Although he based his work on a long tradition of biographical writing, Vasari infused these literary portraits with a decidedly modern form of critical judgment. The result is a work that remains to this day the cornerstone of art historical scholarship.Spanning the period from the thirteenth centu...

Packed with facts, attributions, and entertaining anecdotes about his contemporaries, Vasari's collection of biographical accounts also presents a highly influential theory of the development of Renaissance art. Beginning with Cimabue and Giotto, who represent the infancy of art, Vasari considers the period of youthful vigour, shaped by Donatello, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, and Masaccio, before discussing the mature period of perfection, dominated by the titanic figures of Leonardo, Raphael, ...

The ‘Divine’ sculptor, painter, architect, poet and engineer, Michelangelo Buonarroti exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art, producing masterpieces that rank among the most famous in existence. Delphi’s groundbreaking ‘Masters of Art Series’ presents the world’s first digital e-Art books, allowing digital readers to explore the works of the world’s greatest artists in comprehensive detail. This volume presents the complete works of Michelangelo, with c...

Beginning with Cimabue and Giotto in the thirteenth century, Vasari traces the development of Italian art across three centuries to the golden epoch of Leonardo and Michelangelo. Great men, and their immortal works, are brought vividly to life, as Vasari depicts the young Giotto scratching his first drawings on stone; Donatello gazing at Brunelleschi's crucifix; and Michelangelo's painstaking work on the Sistine Chapel, harassed by the impatient Pope Julius II. The Lives also convey much a...

The most prominent exponent of Venetian art, Titian was equally adept with portraits and landscapes, as well as mythological and religious subjects. His celebrated use of colour would exercise a profound influence on future generations of Western art. Delphi’s Masters of Art Series presents the world’s first digital e-Art books, allowing digital readers to explore the works of great artists in comprehensive detail. This volume presents Titian’s complete paintings in beautiful detai...