J. H. Plumb

Umberto Eco's latest work unlocks the riddles of history in an exploration of the "linguistics of the lunatic," stories told by scholars, scientists, poets, fanatics, and ordinary people in order to make sense of the world. Exploring the "Force of the False," Eco uncovers layers of mistakes that have shaped human history, such as Columbus's assumption that the world was much smaller than it is, leading him to seek out a quick route to the East via the West and thus fortuitously "discovering" America. In a careful unveiling of the fabulous and the false, Eco shows us how serendipities - unanticipated truths - often spring from mistaken ideas. From Leibniz's belief that the I Ching illustrated the principles of calculus to Marco Polo's mistaking a rhinoceros for a unicorn, Eco tours the labyrinth of intellectual history, illuminating the ways in which we project the familiar onto the strange.

Includes biographical essays on Petrarch, Machiavelli, the young Michelangelo, Lorenzo de Medici, Leonardo da Vinci, Pope Pius II, Doge Francesco Foscari, Federigo da Montefeltro, Beatrice and Isabella D'Este.

The papers in this collection were presented at a symposium sponsored by the Conference on British Studies at the University of Delaware. Six leading experts on different aspects of eighteenth-century Britain wrote on a general theme which cuts across traditional disciplinary boundaries. This theme is the lot of the ordinary individual in eighteenth-century society. This collection provides a wealth of information and valuable insights for the scholar of eighteenth-century Britain.

In this pictorial account of life in Georgian England, Professor Plumb captures all the charm and humanity that characterised the age. It was a time of expansion, discovery and the dedicated pursuit of happiness, in which new interests -- intellectual, artistic and sporting -- were taken up with delighted enthusiasm. Many traditional British pleasures -- concerts, race meetings and seaside holidays among them -- have their origins in the eighteenth century, as do the Royal Academy, the London Zoo and Kew Gardens. Great talents emerged, men such as Handel, Gainsborough, Chippendale, Johnson and Capability Brown, producing work of unparalleled genius and diversity. A spirit of inquiry and adventure caused more people to read and to travel than ever before, and the enjoyment derived from their new-found knowledge changed the quality of life for millions of Georgian men and women. It brought them a more stimulating, more satisfying existence, and a happiness which had previously been the sole right of a narrow and aristocratic elite. The enormous range of illustrations in this book reflects the variety and vitality of this exceptionally fruitful period in England's social history.

This analysis of the four kings shows just what effect their reigns had on the history of their time. Whether or not the loss of the American colonies is generally regarded as inevitable or the fault of the crown, the author shows that the influence of the monarchy was paramount in many other respects during the 116 years of their reigns.