The Florentines: From Dante to Galileo: The Transformation of Western Civilization by Paul Strathern -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Can you believe July is coming to an end? This month flew by in a blur of work for me. August will be the same and, poof! There goes summer. Although, I will confess that I am not a hot weather person anyway. So if I have to go through a busy patch at the office, unlike many people, I prefer it to be in the summer because I hide here in the air conditioning. 

What end of month book are you happy about this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on Book Beginnings on Fridays! Add the link to you blog or social media post in the linky box below.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

From The Florentines: From Dante to Galileo: The Transformation of Western Civilization by Paul Strathern:

Between the birth of Dante in 1265 and the death of Galileo in 1642, something happened which would transform the entire culture of western civilization.

That is a bold assertion! In this new history of Florence, the cultural capital of Italy, Strathern explores how the ideas expressed in the art and architecture of the city led to the emergence of humanism as the driving philosophy of the Western world. 

The Florentines came out this month from Pegasus Books. It is a masterful examination of the history of Florence.  

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please link to you BBOF post below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

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THE FRIDAY 56

Freda at Freda's Voice hosts another teaser event on Fridays. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of the book they are reading -- or from 56% of the way through the audiobook or ebook. Please visit Freda's Voice for details and to leave a link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

From The Florentines:

Meanwhile, Florence embarked upon a costly and foolhardy attempt to conquer the neighboring small city-state of Lucca, which occupied the north-west corner of Tuscany and thus posed a potential, if unlikely, threat to Florence is trade route to the coast. The cost of this war, in the form of a steep rise in taxes, quickly led to a widespread and serious discontent among the people.

Any history of Europe that covers 400 years is going to have parts about wars and economics, as well as art and architecture. But with 400 years to cover in roughly 350 pages, Strathern never gets bogged down on a battlefield.