The Last Days of the Renaissance: & the March to Modernity

This amazing little book charts the course from the Renaissance to Modernity. The trigger for change was gunpowder, which made Feudal castles vulnerable, leading to the formation of modern countries. Later the printing press led to the formation of democracies. These facts fit-in with a friends belief that change starts with technology, then spreads to society, and finally results in changes in government. This book is a gem -- well written, to the point, and fun to read.

Rabb's book blends serious scholarship with genuine readability, which is rare these days in popular history. The arguments are subtle and insightful, and open up the period from an original perspective. Most scholarship focuses on the beginnings of periods - the forces that led to shifts in political intentions, the cultural and class dynamics, etc. - but, instead, Rabb here cleverly looks at how it all came to a close. And in so doing, he lets the period project onto both past and future in ways that often surprise and always enlighten. This is refined story-telling that demands a bit of the reader, and even if some of the more academic intricacies may slip by some, the overall result is a highly sophisticated yet thoroughly approachable piece of work. To have achieved both places Rabb in very select company.