I call this book "foundational" because it is building a foundation for gay scholars of the future: a foundation of hard historical fact.

As other reviewers have noted, the author carefully combed the records of the Florentine Office of the Night. The Office of the Night was a special police force designed to combat male love. Simply (!) counting up the number of men detained by the Office of the Night and comparing them with the population of the town, the author establishes the fact that over half the male population had fallen into the hands of the Office of the Night. (Not, as one reviewer mistakenly claimed, that over half of the men in Florence had had sex with another male at least one time. That's way wide of the mark!)

If over half of the male inhabitants of Renaissance Florence had fallen into difficulties with this special police force, logic suggests that others escaped without a visit from the police. That is to say, the number of men interested in male love is most likely under-represented by these statistics. And of course (as is shown many times in the book) there were some gay men who were notorious, and committed many "offenses," before coming to the notice of the police.

To say the same thing in another way, the data from this book confirms the data from Tokugawa Japan, as well as the data from ancient Greece.

This kind of research is invaluable to scholars who want to understand human nature.

Highest recommendation!

Michael Rocke's tome on male culture and sexuality in Renaissance Florence is a tremendous work that provides exceptional insight into male sexuality. After reading this, only the most obdurate student of gay life and history could fail to attain a more significant understanding of the present-day forces that seek to quash gays and their efforts for equality under the law. Rocke's careful research of 15th- and 16th-century documents unequivocably shows that if not most, quite nearly a mjority of Florentine males at the time had sex at least once with another male. The significance of such a finding should not be missed.

Present day gays roll their eyes whenever they encounter the supposition that a person can "be made gay" or "converted" to being gay because of the firm belief that one's sexuality is predominantly innate. But after reading Rocke's book, one can't help but see how males that today would undoubtedly be identified as heterosexual had freely enjoyed sex with other males. The significance of this, however, should not be interpreted to mean that one's sexuality is entirely a choice. It does, however, provide an understanding of why some homophobes fear gays.

The Dominican cleric Savonarola's rhetoric in the war he waged against sodomy in Florence provides a historical background as well for understanding the position of today's Religious Right and its stance against gays. Savonarola figures heavily in Rocke's book and the author provides wonderful detail on the political machinations of the time, a politic that essentially recognized the need to publicly take a stand against sodomy, but in practicality often lacked the nerve to do what was necessary to rid the city of "this vice."

Anyone interested in the history surrounding gays and homosexuality is strongly urged to add this title to their list.

I won't hide my praise; this book is a masterpiece in the study of male-male sexuality in the Renaissance. Finally, due to some historically fortuitous and unfortunately rare records, some one has provided firm demographic evidence on the phenomenon in one major city. These demographics settle a number of thorny questions that have plagued the field since its inception. Over two-thirds the male population of Renaissance Florence was involved in pederasty. We are not dealing with a small but relatively free homosexual minority; instead, the average Florentine Renaissance male, regardless of sexual orientation, engaged in some form of sex with males. This book is essential not only to those interested in the Renaissance but also to all interested in ancient (Western) history. Those interested in ancient Greece and Rome in particular will be fascinated to learn that Greek practices are still very much alive in Renaissance Italy, over two-thousand years later. The book casts serious doubt on the notion that a small, aritocratic minority practiced pederasty in Classical Antiquity. Rocke firmly establishes that male pederastic sex and relationships in Renaissance Florence were embedded in the broader contexts of male culture and sociality, class, retribution, and politics. His book is an additional verification of the anthropological theory that most pre-industrial societies accepted male pederasty as a valid expression of a man's sexual desires, though only ancient Greece and Rome seem to have so publicly lauded the practice in their art, literature, and philosophy.

After a decade together their ardor had cooled. It was then, in 1900, that Bernhard Berenson (he later dropped the "h" in his first name) and Mary Costelloe married, placing imprimatur on a symbiotic partnering that lasted until her death in 1945. The civil ceremony in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio united an unusual pair. He was a polylingual bon vivant; she spoke grade school Italian, which remained virtually unimproved throughout her 50+ years in Tuscany.

Art historian, critic, and, as he preferred, connoisseur, Berenson was a Lithuanian Jew who established an impressive reputation as an authority on Italian Renaissance painting. "The Drawings of the Florentine Painters" and "The Venetian Painters of the Renaissance" are among his better known works.

A widow with two children and also a writer, Mary was a Philadelphia Quaker who addressed her husband archaically. Reporting to him on their home's refurbishment, she wrote, "So thee sees the main things (except the electricity) are done." When construction went awry: "Thee wd. rage at the way the red fire-place is put up."

For Berenson, she was sometimes a catalyst, often a goad who collaborated with him on his written work, and patiently assisted in endlessly revising his lists of Italian paintings. They shared a penchant for extravagance, acquisition, and a tendency to overlook each other's infidelities.

In A Legacy Of Excellence William Weaver has rendered a graceful drawing of privileged turn-of-the-century life. His perspective is the Villa I Tatti in the vineyard strewn hills between Florence and Fiesole. Once the Berenson's home, it is now the Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies. Recent color pictures as well as archival photographs enhance this well documented history, while exquisite reproductions of Berenson's art collection add to its luster. When first leased by the Berensons, I Tatti was modest compared to its imposing villa neighbors. Previous tenants eschewed modern conveniences; there was only one bath, no electricity or telephone. Mary engaged 40 workmen to begin rudimentary improvements, hoping to provide Bernard with a salubrious atmosphere in which to study and collect. Apparently she succeeded. He amassed photographs and books - his Fototeca eventually held 300,000 items, his library 50,000 volumes. Works by Giotto, Sasseta, and Lorenzo Lotto were included in his art collection.

With an income derived largely from commissions on art sales, Berenson was employed by the English art dealer Lord Duveen to give his seal of approval to the Renaissance paintings Duveen sold to monied Americans, notably Frick, Kress, and Mellon.

Weaver, a thorough author as evidenced in Marino Marini, overlooks a significant aspect of Berenson's connoisseurship: the substantial sums he earned in the picture trade later brought Berenson's impartiality into question, resulting in the downgrading of many of his attributions.

Nonetheless, when the villa's 20th century owner, a wealthy English eccentric, died childless, the cash strapped Berensons obtained a loan to purchase the estate only through the intervention of an American friend.

Once they owned the villa, Mary engaged architects to plan further refurbishing, as well as the building of magnificent formal gardens. In years to come I Tatti would be visited by Edith Wharton, Walter Lippman, Yehudi Menuhin, Adlai Stevenson, Gertrude Stein, who, as Mary put it, swam in a nearby artificial lake "clothed only in her own fat," plus a host of that era's literati and glitterati.

Often separated during World War I, Mary stayed at the villa while Bernard worked and romanced in Paris, where he had become friends with Matisse, Gide and Proust.

Postwar unrest in Italy presaged the rise of fascism, which Bernard vehemently and vocally opposed. His stance caused him to be considered untrustworthy by many Italian intellectuals and some influential Americans. Expulsion from Italy seemed probable, but it did not occur.

In late summer of 1944 war again reached Florence. Bernard wrote in his diary, "Our hillside happens to lie between the principal line of German retreat along the Via Bolognese and a side road...We are at the heart of the German rearguard action, and seriously exposed." Miraculously the villa was unharmed by its German occupants.

While Mary wanted the villa and its 75 acres left to her children, Bernard was adamant that their beneficiary be his alma mater, Harvard University. Although Mary persistently derided his dream of "a lay monastery of leisurely culture" as "a wayside inn for loafing scholars," he bequeathed the villa and grounds, his library, and works of art to Harvard.

Initially, the University was somewhat daunted by his demanding bequest. Native Florentines viewed their new neighbors unenthusiastically, dismissing them as more "anglo-beceri" (becero literally meaning boor), as earlier Tuscan based English and American cliques were known. That was to change with the disastrous flooding of 1966.

Members of the national and international art communities selflessly responded when an irreplaceable portion of the world's art history was jeopardized. I Tatti became a focal point of that aid. Art experts performed herculean salvaging tasks - delicate glass negatives from the Uffizi's Gabinetto Fotografico had to be rescued from the muck. It took over a week for the 30,000 slides to be bathed then laid out to dry.

An air-lift of enormous drying-machines organized by Harvard's Renaissance art historian saved countless books and documents from the Biblioteca Nazionale. I Tatti housed as many art experts as possible; others were guests only long enough for a hot bath.

The Center's dedication to minimizing the flood's devastation altered its image in the minds of many Florentines who had previously viewed it with a shrug. Strangers became colleagues and friends. Today, fifteen students are nominated annually to study at I Tatti, while according to a stipulation in Bernard's will, the library is open free of charge "for all students of Italy and other countries." Scholars from dissimilar backgrounds walk together along impeccably raked gravel paths, where they "speak the same language; the language of the Italian Renaissance." Bernard Berenson's dream came true.

As the author of the recently published Geoffrey Scott and the Berenson Circle, I can tell you that this history of the Villa I Tatti is an exceptionally beautiful book about a most fascinating place. William Weaver, the most important of today's translators of Italian fiction and a great stylist, has written an exciting history of a most exciting place. It would make an ideal gift for any Italophile.

The newly married art historians Bernard and Mary Berenson made their home at the Villa I Tatti near Florence in 1900. In the following years Mary, supervised the rebuilding of the villa and the creation of its elegant gardens. The Berensons pursued their work at I Tatti over a period of nearly six decades, and here they entertained a remarkable circle of friends :art historians ( Kenneth Clark, John Walker, John Pope-Hennessy), writers (Edith Wharton, Alberto Moravia), political thinkers (Walter Lippman, Gaetano Salvermini), musicians (Yehudi Menuhin) and countless other visitors from every part of the world. At I Tatti Bernard Berenson assmbled a choice collection of Renaissance art, including works by Giotto, Sassetta, Domenico Veneziano, and Lorenzo Lotto. He also formed a prodigious art historical research library and photograph collection. When he died in 1959, he bequeathed the house, its contents, and the gardens to Harvard University as a Center for Renaissance Studies. This book documents the colorful life the Berensons led at I Tatti, the rich intellectual atmosphere they fostered there, and the spirit that continues and is nurtured by the Harvard Center. Berenson was associated with the famous art dealer, Baron Joseph DUVEEN (1869-1939) who noticed, early in life, that Europe had plenty of art and America had plenty of money, and his entire astonishing career was the product of that simple observation (S.N. Behrman, Duveen). The American plenty has been well invested in I Tatti, as the superb photographs by David Finn show. William Weaver has lived for many years in Italy, reporting on the Italian cultural world for American and British publications. This book has also a detailed alphabetical index, showing the quality of the research made by the author. Jan A. MORTELMANS.

The art of paperfolding has been one of my interests for many years and one I enjoy sharing with my students. This book is a great reference, first of all because the illustrations are very clear and easy to follow. The projects range from simple to somewhat advanced, but none are too difficult to make once you understand the basic folds. My students are always particularly fascinated by the figures that "do things" such as the "Chinese Balloon," which you can blow up and toss around, the "Bird with Flapping Wings," which really seems to fly, and the "Snapping Alligator," which, well, you guessed it. Other paperfolds from this book that never cease to amuse children as well as adults are the "Money Fold Bow Tie," and "Jumping Frog." If you are not sufficiently amazed with your finished paperfold as it is, the author gives additional options and uses for each. Paperfolding is beautiful, magical and tons of fun. This book is a must have if you enjoy the art as much as I do.

Very useful book, especially for beginners. Unlike some of the Japanese origami books, this assumes no prior cultural knowledge, so you can knock off some easy projects quickly, and do some quite complicated ones later. Recommended!

This book is amazing! It has many interesting projects to do. Unlike other origami books, this book teaches you easy methods of folding. It doesn't take long for you to become a master at origami and you'll have fun too. Invest in this book soon and you won't regret it.

This book is EXCELLENT. Every parent needs to read it.
I have 5 children and this book has helped me so much to see
what makes my children different, and has enabled me to accept
them just as they are. Just one example-my third son has always seemed to be lazy. He is just not motivated to work. I used to worry that I was raising a lazy adult but this book showed me that he is a phlegmatic, and phlegmatics tend to be that way! They find the shortest way to do things and are unmotivated to get their work done. I now understand my little guy and why he is like he is-I can accept him as living according to his temperament. I could give several other examples.
This book is practical in that it lists the strengths and weaknesses of each temperament and gives ideas for parents on how to raise their children according to how they are. I loved that it pairs up the different combinations of parents and children.
I could go on and on but suffice it to say that I read the book in just a couple of days and learned so much that it's changed the way I relate to my children. I even learned much about me and also about my husband.
It's a fascinating, practical, life-changing book. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Now I'm off to read her book for adults, "Personality Plus". :)

It is insightful to find out we can tell personalities in babies. And knowing your own personality and how to interact with other personalities makes it so much easier to raise great grandchildren. Wish I knew this when my own children were growing up. It makes a big difference in the level of self confidence and self esteem as one raises children, especially during the formative years of birth to age 3.

Florence Littauer has written a book that has the potential to transform relationships. Her knowledge of personality types and how to deal with them will help you better understand not only your children but yourself as well.

The author gives clear descriptions of the four personality types. Rather than stopping with a description, she goes on to share parenting ideas for each type of child. This is very helpful, but she goes further still! I found the most helpful sections to be those where the author spelled out how a parent with one personality type can get along with and bring out the best in a child of another personality.

If you have children you just can't figure out, this book will help you.

I had read Personality Plus previously and it helped me understand my personality strengths and weaknesses. Then I bought Personality Puzzle to help me understand people in the workplace. I found it very easy to understand and apply the concepts. In fact, I have been giving presentations to small groups based on my research and this book is the basis for my presentation.

If you manage people at work, this book is a must. You will learn how to lead your staff into their strengths and hire your weaknesses. By understanding the four basic personality types, you can manage people better, reduce on-the-job stress and conflicts, improve workflow, and meet deadlines better. Even if you do not completely belive in the theory of personality typing, this book will help you understand why people behave in predictable way.

If you are an employee who is having personality conflicts with coworkers, read this book. It will help you to first understand your own personality (by taking the included test) and then you can understand your coworker's personality. When you know your strengths, you can use them to your advantage and you will understand your weaknesses so that you can minimize them.

I never knew myself and the others before. This book has really openned my eyes. There are a lot of things you can learn from this book. I guarantee it ;)
Thanks for someone special who purchased this book as a gift for me. This book is the best gift in my life. Thank you.

Understanding why people in your work environment act the way they do is at times very difficult. This book defines personality types and gives great insight into how and why they respond the way they do. It also helps an individual to define their own personality type. By giving real life examples, it is easy to see how to apply what the reader is learning. This book is definitely an eye opener. It will help to distinguish the office personalities, give insight into how to deal with them, and how to interact with them. It has a question area for determing your own personality and a glossary for defining the descriptions used in explaining the different personalities. The style is very easy to read and understand. A must read for everyone in the work place.

I have loved this collection of poetry since the day I first encountered my grandmother's personally illustrated and calligraphy reproduced version (of the poems she loved best), as a child of about nine or ten. She had been a Ziegfeld Follies dancer, and the passion and sadness of Laurence Hope's poetry inspired her interpretive style of performing. She gave me my own copy for my sixteenth birthday and I have it still. My hope is to someday find the complete illustrated work (in good to excellent condition).

I really loved this book. I happened to come across one at a garage sale. I found, I believe, a 1923 copywrited edition. The poems in it do not center themselves around India exactly, although it does include some customes in it, but focus more on feelings and ideas related to love itself. My personal favorites are written by Mohammed Akram. I highly recomend this book to poetry fans!

I really loved this book. I happened to come across one at a garage sale. I found, I believe, a 1923 copywrited edition. The poems in it do not center themselves around India exactly, although it does include some customes in it, but focus more on feelings and ideas related to love itself. My personal favorites are written by Mohammed Akram. I highly recomend this book to poetry fans!

A Time for Alzheimer's is a must for those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's. It is Florence Baury's personal account of her mother's dehumanizing illness, and how she and her family dealt with the crisis. Unlike so many of the books written on the subject for the last decade, Baurys approaches the subject from a Christian perspective.

Baurys chronicles her mother's escalating seven-year decline into dementia, beginning with a telephone conversation with her confused parent in 1983. Within a few years her mother was unable to drive a few blocks without being lost. She was neglecting her personal grooming. One day Baurys watched her parent wash grapes and then plop them into the dog's food-splattered bowl to eat them.

This is an emotional story. However, this book is a must for those who have family members with Alzheimer's, or suspect its symptoms in those they love. It will help them to understand the financial and personal problems ahead for the entire family, and to be prepared for what is to come.

One helpful chapter is devoted to the five stages of Alzheimer's, and explains the medical difficulties that plague doctors in their diagnosis. Baury's, who is also a Registered Nurse, also shares helpful strategies in finding proper facilities for ill parents.

As a Christian, Baurys has written this book "in order to help others to maintain their hope in a dark time." She encourages dealing with anger and grief, and remembering joyful memories even though the AD victim does not. In spite of the circumstances caused by this ugly disease, Baurys account leaves the caregiver with the hope that they, too, will survive the ordeal because God's presence is with them. By writing this book, Baurys has done a Christian service for those who must deal with this tragic disease.

A topic few people wish to discuss let alone read about. This author made this an easy read, full of information and even inspiration, plus needed resources.

When a loved one is diagnosed, or shows symptoms of this disease be sure to read this book. It will help you to understand that there are many things that you will need to act on and understand as the disease progresses. Don't be caught not knowing. Do yourself a favor and get this book.

I was not expecting this book to be what it is and still am surprised.It is a collection of photos with some details about the author's and other's private collections of rare collectibles(vases,bowls,lamps,etc).All are beautiful photographs and amazing peices!A totally wonderful book for anyone who loves collectible glass!!!

It is not likely you will ever encounter any of the glass shown in this book but the book is worth buying anyway for anyone who enjoys collecting depression glass. The photos in this book will have you drooling for hours. And who knows? You might actually find one of these beauties one day and buy it because you remember seeing it in the book and knowing that the $50 asking price was well worth it since Gene says its worth $2000!

Excellent and informative detail. I strongly suggest adding this book to your library.

I loan this book to people who have lost someone and they all say the same thing. They all think the book is very helpful. It helps you get through your time of need.

A wonderful, eloquent, and touching message for anyone who last lost someone significant in their lives. I received it after losing a close family member, and now I share the message with others who have lost.

I was given this book after my brother committed suicide and I remain grateful for it every day. It is a simple little book, but it is a great comfort. If you or someone you know is in mourning, this book will help show that there is a light at the end of this journey we travel when grieving.

The role of the women who were involved in the Birth and Death of the Order has largely been overlooked.

It is highly recommendable if you would like a differing view of the rise and fall of the Order; it is an interesting combination of romance, drama, gossip, and historical information (Although I cannot attest to its accuracy). You are exposed to the flaws of the founders, and their weaknesses. While some of the interaction between members could come right out of Jerry Springer, it is still highly commendable.

I must admit I had a difficult time putting this book down.

Women of the Golden Dawn addresses a subject that is rarely touched on in other books on the Occult Revival: the role of the women in this movement. Mary K. Greer weaves a tapestry of astrology, tarot, metaphysics, biography, and history. The book elucidates many magickal principles as skillfully as it recounts the story of four uncommon women. The extensive endnotes are especially intriguing; tarot readers will be very interested at the in-depth records of Golden Dawn tarot readings and interpretations.

The Golden Dawn magical order was founded in 1888. Although it admitted women, they have been often overlooked in histories of the GD.Mary Greer redresses this oversight.The four women in question are Annie Horniman, actress and writer Florence Farr,freedom fighter for Ireland Maud Gonne and the mystical Moina Bergson Mathers.Greer claims that these women were the true heart and soul of the Golden Dawn, and it is hard not to agree with her.Each woman had exceptional talents, and each made her own unique contribution to this magical Order.Much research has gone into this book and it is packed with information not easily found on the subjects.Interesting details of some of the magical workings are given, including some by Maud Gonne and W.B.Yeats.The personal relationships, the bickering, the magic--it's all here.