English Renaissance

Step into the dramatic cultural rebirth of European history, where radical ideas clashed with ancient traditions. Perfect for an immersive commute or an evening of deep focus, this vivid narrative breathes life into a continent emerging from plague, war, and religious anxiety. Experience the...

The mystery deepens when Ozzy and his growing crew aboard the Phoenix III arrive to find Earth has fallen from its former glory—and is now under the control of a secretive group known as the Axiom Guard. With help from a grizzled Recon Marine, Ozzy must fend off this mysterious order of scientists and Concord enforcers that will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Mythbreaker.

Death in Florence illuminates one of the defining moments in Western history - the bloody and dramatic story of the battle for the soul of Renaissance Florence. By the end of the fifteenth century, Florence was well established as the home of the Renaissance. In an exhilaratingly rich and deeply researched story, Paul Strathern reveals the paradoxes, self-doubts, and political compromises that made the battle for the soul of the Renaissance city one of the most complex and important moments in Western history.

Already a classic, this landmark study of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages. Author Anthony Gottlieb looks afresh at the writings of the great thinkers, questions much of conventional wisdom, and explains his findings with unbridled brilliance and clarity. From the pre-Socratic philosophers through the celebrated days of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, up to Renaissance visionaries like Erasmus and Bacon, philosophy emerges here as a phenomenon unconfined by any one discipline.

In this masterful work, listeners will encounter: the poets Petrarch and Boccaccio, the fathers of the Renaissance; the paintings, sculptures, and architecture of Milan, Florence, and Venice; the life and accomplishments of Leonardo DaVinci; the Catholic church and the popes of Avignon and Rome; the politicians and philosophers of Italy, including the Borgia family, Julius II, and Machiavelli; the Italian Wars, the conflicts with France, and the country's decline.

A standalone audio exclusive set in the world of the Red Knight. Taking place in Etrusca, Terra Antica, thousands of miles from Alba and Liviapolis, an ancient power is rediscovered.

This magnificent biography of Henry VIII is set against the cultural, social and political background of his court - the most spectacular court ever seen in England - and the splendour of his many sumptuous palaces. An entertaining narrative packed with colourful description and a wealth of anecdotal evidence, but also a comprehensive analytical study of the development of both monarch and court during a crucial period in English history.

Set in the dynamic worlds of professional basketball and entertainment, two of Kennedy Ryan's most critically-acclaimed series—Hollywood Renaissance and HOOPs—collide in this tale of forbidden romance. I met Nazareth Armstrong when I was eighteen years old. From the beginning, my brother...

A scorching second-chance romance between a talented screenwriter and a phenomenal musician from the New York Times bestselling author of Before I Let Go. "A triumph of art and emotion." —Talia Hibbert, New York Times bestselling author You never forget your first love. Isn't that what they...

From the darkness of a plagued and war-torn Middle Ages, the Renaissance (we’re told) heralds the dawning of a new world—a halcyon age of art, prosperity, and rebirth. Hogwash! or so says award-winning novelist and historian Ada Palmer. In Inventing the Renaissance, Palmer turns her witty and irreverent eye on the fantasies we’ve told ourselves about Europe’s not-so-golden age, myths she sets right with sharp clarity.

The Borgia family have become a byword for evil. Corruption, incest, ruthless megalomania, avarice, and vicious cruelty - all have been associated with their name. And yet, paradoxically, this family lived when the Renaissance was coming into its full flowering in Italy. Examples of infamy flourished alongside some of the finest art produced in western history.           

In brutally repressive sixteenth-century England, artists had been frightened into dull conventionality; foreigners were suspect; popular entertainment largely consisted of coarse spectacles, animal fights, and hangings. Into this crude world came an ambitious cobbler’s son with an uncanny ear for Latin poetry―a torment for most schoolboys, yet for a few, a secret portal to beauty, visionary imagination, transgressive desire, and dangerous skepticism. 

Like many well-to-do Upper East Siders over the age of 65, esteemed art appraiser Percival Skinner had planned to spend his retirement living off his savings. But a market correction has left him living below his prior means. One day he’s visited by a dapper fixer in search of a famous work by a Renaissance master. Skinner knows the work well: The original was owned by his ancestor, and was passed down through his family over the generations. If, as an intermediary, he can coordinate a sale, a small fortune awaits. Problem is, he might not be the only one on the make.

A Broadway actress has a chance at stardom when cast by a major Hollywood director, but the role of her dreams may cost her the love of a lifetime in this epic novel from "one of the finest romance writers of our age." (Entertainment Weekly) For months I stood in the wings, an understudy waiting...

First-person fictional account of Anne Boleyn’s life from her life in the Flemish and French courts to her rise in England as Henry VIII’s second wife. After becoming the mother to Queen Elizabeth I, Anne fell from grace and was beheaded on orders from her husband at the age of thirt-five.

For fans of ALISON WEIR and PHILIPPA GREGORY ◆ FIRST PLACE WINNER - 2023 CHAUCER Book Awards - Early Historical Fiction ◆ WINNER - 2023 READERS' FAVORITE Awards - Fiction-Historical-Personage ◆ Royalty ◆ Power ◆ Politics ◆ Love ◆ Struggle Bestselling biographer and historian Sarah Gristwood, author of Game of Queens and The Tudors in Love, calls this tale of early 16th-century Europe's most brilliant power broker “Compelling and wholly convincing—at once a vividly readable novel and a long-overdue presentation of Europe's unsung heroine to the broad audience she deserves....

 Brunelleschi's Dome is the story of how a Renaissance genius bent men, materials, and the very forces of nature to build an architectural wonder we continue to marvel at today. Denounced at first as a madman, Brunelleschi was celebrated at the end as a genius. He engineered the perfect placement of brick and stone, built ingenious hoists and cranes to carry an estimated 70 million pounds hundreds of feet into the air, and designed the workers' platforms and routines so carefully that only one man died during the decades of construction. 

Thomas More served one of the most dangerous kings in English history. Lawyer, humanist, author of Utopia, devoted Catholic, royal councillor, and Lord Chancellor of England, he stood close to the centre of Tudor power until Henry VIII demanded more than service. When Henry broke with Rome to secure his marriage to Anne Boleyn and establish royal supremacy over the Church in England, More tried to survive through silence. He resigned from office, avoided open rebellion, and refused to condemn those who submitted. But silence itself became dangerous when the king required an oath. Thomas ...

Witness the dawn of a cultural revolution where radical art and cutthroat politics shattered the dark Middle Ages. Perfect for an intellectually stimulating morning commute, this immersive historical journey transports you straight to the bustling streets of Florence and Venice. Experience the...

He wanted to be king. I'm going to make him a peasant instead. For twelve years I've been the beating heart of Ravensmoor Renaissance Faire. I wrangle the cast, I fix the well pump at six in the morning, and I know where all the fire extinguishers live. My husband Roderick wears a very nice cloak and takes all the credit. Then one day the owners announce they're retiring, and I catch Roderick behind the mead tent with a home-wrecking court maiden who thinks usurp is a type of soup — and on top of that find out he's sweet-talking the owners into signing the whole faire over to him. With me...