The History of Italy

This is an extraordinary book, on many levels. It is a concise abridgement of a much longer work and a fine, readable translation of the original 16th century Italian. More importantly, the substance is priceless. This is nothing less than a guided tour of the amazing events of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, from a clear-eyed, surprisingly objective reporter who knows whereof he speaks. Guicciardini was, among other things, Machiavelli's assistant and an adviser to popes. Writing from the vantage point of his personal observation of the events of his lifetime, he discusses: the Medici, the building of the dome of St. Peter's for the jubilee of 1500, the related sale of indulgences, the ensuing "Lutheran heresy," the discovery of the new world, Henry VIII's divorce and the ensuing separation of the Church of England, and the arrival of syphillis in Europe, among other topics. Be warned that it is dense material, but it is worth the effort.