The Shortest History of Italy (Flash Sale 2024) by Ross King | Black Inc.

The Shortest History of Italy (Flash Sale 2024): A Captivating Journey from the Roman Empire to the Renaissance to a Modern Republic

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About the author

Ross King

Ross King is a renowned expert in the Italian Renaissance. He is the author of numerous bestselling and acclaimed books including The Bookseller of Florence, Brunelleschi's Dome, Machiavelli, Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling and Leonardo …

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Praise for The Shortest History of Italy (Flash Sale 2024)

'King has the gift of clear, unpretentious exposition, and an instinctive narrative flair.' —The Guardian

'An exceptional portraitist and craftsman' —Booklist

‘A remarkably readable whirlwind tour of Italian history over the millennia, replete with conquerors, emperors, slaves, popes, assorted invaders and filled with juicy historical nuggets. There’s nothing quite like it.’ —David Kertzer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Pope and Mussolini and The Pope at War

‘A rollicking introduction to the history of a country that, until barely 150 years ago, was not one. Vibrant, admirably clear and often wryly amusing, Ross King’s narrative benefits again and again from his eye for the telling detail – a splendid achievement.’ —John Hooper, author of The Italians and The New Spaniards
 

‘[The Shortest History of Italy] is … a user-friendly way of filling in the many blanks in one’s knowledge.’ —Fiona Capp, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald

'King, who ... is known for his impeccable research and engaging style, is the perfect Virgil to guide us from The Aeneid to COVID-19 in this densely packed volume of tantalizing details.' —Bill Kelly, Booklist

‘Jump into the Alfa Romeo and hold tight as Ross King speeds through Italian history with this effervescent and entertaining guide to the peninsula’s past.’ —Professor Catherine Fletcher, author of The Beauty and the Terror

‘Few have as much insight into the history of Italy as the author of Brunelleschi's Dome, and here Ross King offers a masterful and perceptive account of Italian virtues – and sins – from the Romans to Berlusconi, as well as the country's inimitable art and architecture.  An ideal handbook for anyone who loves Italy and wants to dig a little deeper into the past of what Dante called il bel paese, or as Ross King puts it, Italy's history of "resilience and rebirth”.’ —Richard Owen, former Rome correspondent of The Times, author of Hemingway in Italy and Chaucer’s Italy
 

‘[A] vivid gallop through three millennia of history’—Michael Prodger, The New Statesman

The Shortest History of Italy is very readable. It’s a book for everyone who has wanted to know more about Italy but have never had the chance to begin the journey. It’s also a handy resource for those embarking on a trip to the different and very distinct regions of the republic.’ —Richard Tutin, Queensland Reviewers Collective

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