Hale's approach is thematic rather than strictly chronological, and the general reader may find this a bit distracting if he does not have any previous knowledge of the history of the period. For that reader it may also be somewhat scholarly in tone, but it is not a tedious or dry read by any means. On the contrary, Hale's wide range of learning and his use of many wonderful illustrations give the work a distinct and fascinating life, and an even flow that can be taken in easily-digestible chapters and sections. Each chapter is filled with Hale's insight and gift for making complex issues accessible. This is no small task when ! dealing with a period as complicated and multi-faceted as the Renaissance. Hale's grasp of the original sources is impressive, and he frequently allows them to speak for themselves, showing that we are not so far away from this period in our history (just as we are not so far from the world of classical antiquity which the Renaissance revived). The result is a magnificent study which looks at how Europe (and by extension the world) changed during the "long century" of 1450 to 1620: a period of tremendous discovery, violence and intellectual/artistic achievement.