Historical Fiction Renaissance

Beginning in the heady days just after the First Crusade, this volume - the third in the series that began with The History of the Ancient World and The History of the Medieval World - chronicles the contradictions of a world in transition. Impressively researched and brilliantly told, The History of the Renaissance World offers not just the names, dates, and facts but the memorable characters who illuminate the years between 1100 and 1453 - years that marked a sea change in mankind's perception of the world.

With her drunk of a father missing and her mother dead, it falls upon Celeste to protect her younger brothers and sister from starvation. When the burden becomes overwhelming, and Celeste makes plans to escape her wretched life, her wealthy aunt appears and whisks her off to work as a nanny to young Federigo Benetto. One day, as Celeste escorts Federigo to his art lesson with Maestro Luciano Vicente, the maestro discovers a sketch drawn by Celeste. He immediately recognizes her raw artistic talent and begs her to become his secret protégé.

The Scarlet Letter is one of the great classics of American literature. Set in the harsh Puritan environment of 17th-century Boston, it describes the plight of Hester Prynne, an independent-minded woman who stands alone against society. Having given birth to a child after an illicit affair, she refuses to name the father and is forced to wear the letter "A", for Adulteress, embroidered on her dress.

Written in the winter of 1849, The Scarlet Letter unfolds the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman branded as an adulteress in the harsh Puritan world of 17th-century New England. As Hester calls on her inner strength to transcend her shame, the scarlet letter ceases to be a stigma and finally becomes Hester's symbol of self-affirmation. This dramatic reading heightens the sense of lyric poetry that permeates every line of Nathaniel Hawthorne's great novel.

"There is no book of mine about which I more thoroughly feel that I swear by every sentence as having been written with my best blood." Thus wrote George Eliot about Romola, the book which is central in her career as a novelist and amongst her most colorful, fluent, and persuasive works. Set in Florence in 1492, a time of great political and religious turmoil, Eliot's novel blends vivid fictional characters with historical figures such as Savonarola, Machiavelli, and the Medicis.

For years d’Artagnan shared his adventures with his three comrades - Athos, Porthos, and Aramis - but now, in Between Two Kings, the First Musketeer returns to the forefront. This is truly d’Artagnan’s novel, bringing to a dramatic climax the story that began when he first arrived in Paris 30 years earlier in The Three Musketeers.

Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful - and most hunted - girl in England. “Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now, it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing - and soon she is swept away into the darkness.

Brought to you by Penguin. Florence, New Year’s Day 1557. As dawn breaks, a painter is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart. Above him, the paintings he laboured over for more than a decade. At his home, a hidden painting scandalously depicting Maria de Medici...

In a city of masks, no one is what they seem . . . Englishman Richard Hughes has survived a stint as a galley slave and is now a free man in Venice, where he enjoys a modest life as a fencing master. He believes he has long-since left behind the ideals that landed him in slavery...until he...

Il destino di Griet, figlia di uno dei decoratori di piastrelle più rinomati in città, cambia il giorno in cui alla sua porta compaiono due sconosciuti: un uomo dal viso spigoloso, occhi grigi come il mare ed espressione ferma, e una donna, riccioli biondi e sguardo sfuggente, che sembra portata dal vento. Nella casa dei Vermeer, tra l'artista e la serva, l'uomo potente e la giovane donna che possiede solo la sua incantevole innocenza, nasce ben presto un'intesa fatta di sguardi, sospiri, frasi non dette.

Toledo, 1479. Nace Juana I de Castilla, tercera hija de los Reyes Católicos. A pesar de tener una educación esmerada, ni sus padres, Isabel I de Castilla y Fernando II de Aragón, ni su esposo Felipe de Habsburgo por el que sentía un amor y unos celos desmedidos, la consideraron capaz de gobernar. Relegada a un segundo plano, y olvidada, su padre y su esposo ejercieron la regencia hasta que su hijo Carlos I tuvo la mayoría de edad.

Pour venger la mort de son frère, le tourmenté Preston Seaton, duc de Grandhampton, est prêt à tout. Quand il apprend que Lord Beckett, l'homme qu'il tient pour responsable, a mis la main de sa fille aux enchères, il y voit l'occasion parfaite. Rêvant d'une carrière d'artiste, Lady Penelope Beckett est horrifiée de se voir soudainement liée à un homme qui la méprise ouvertement. Mais pour sauver son père, elle est contrainte d'accepter ce mariage et se retrouve prisonnière dans la demeure sombre et froide du duc.

Brough to you by Penguin. A young noblewoman accused of murder, awaits execution. Imprisoned in the Corte Savella, she has captured the hearts and sympathy of all Rome. . . This is the true and tragic tale of Beatrice Cenci. Murder most foul or vengeance most just? Helpless victim or resolute...

Elizabeth den Første krones i 1558 og følges tæt af sin barndomsven og tilbeder Sir Robert Dudley. Mens hans søger magten ved hoffet, lever hans hustru en trist og forsømt tilværelse, og dronningens nærmeste begynder at se skævt til ham.

Il Romanzo italiano per eccellenza che avrà un'influenza decisiva nella unificazione linguistica dell'Italia. Un grandioso affresco storico dove vengono magistralmente delineate le nostre radici culturali, sociali e politiche. Renzo e Lucia, don Abbondio, padre Cristoforo, don Rodrigo, l'Innominato, l'Azzeccagarbugli, la monaca di Monza... personaggi che sono entrati a far parte della nostra cultura e dei nostri modi di dire.

Chi se non Paolo Poli poteva calarsi nei panni di Don Abbondio e della Monaca di Monza, dando una voce inconfondibile a ciascuno dei memorabili personaggi manzoniani e tirandoci dentro nelle vicende umane e storiche del grande romanzo? Il libro di tutti e per tutti, in una lettura che è un vero spettacolo!

Die junge Bildhauerin Delia ist nach dem Tod des Vaters fest entschlossen, seine Werkstatt weiterzuführen. Sie reist als Junge verkleidet nach Italien. Die Suche führt sie in die Sixtinische Kapelle, mitten in die Werkstatt Michelangelos, wo sie, getarnt als Dario, Schülerin des berühmten Künstlers wird.

Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis face a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

The daughter of a wealthy merchant, Anneke Sheldrake suddenly finds her family bankrupted when her father’s ship is swept away at sea. Forced to find a way to provide for herself and her siblings, Anneke rejects an offer of marriage from a despised cousin and instead turns to her late mother’s family business – brewing ale. Armed with her mother’s recipes, she then makes a bold deal with her father’s aristocratic employer, putting her home and family at risk.

"Ich, die Königin" von Susan Hastings ist nicht nur ein historischer Roman - es ist eine Zeitreise ins Kastilien von 1464, ein Land geplagt von Unordnung und Ungerechtigkeit. In dieser raue Welt, wo Reisende und Kaufleute der Gnadenlosigkeit von Räuberscharen ausgeliefert sind und Adel und Klerus sich unerbittlich an der armen Bevölkerung bereichern, erscheint die Lage düster und verzweifelt. Aber aus dem Schatten tritt Isabella hervor, die Schwester des unauffälligen Königs Enrique. Mit ihrer eisernen Entschlossenheit und scharfen Intelligenz trotzt sie den Gezeiten und bringt Veränderung.