Tag Archives: Leonardo da Vinci

book reviews, Church History, The Reformation, The Renaissance

Voices of the Renaissance and Reformation

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Greenleaf Press proudly announces the publication of Voices of the Renaissance and Reformation, edited by Robert G. Shearer. Voices includes 31 original source selections by 19 of the key figures from the Renaissance and Reformation.

The Renaissance selections include sonnets by Petrarch, a letter by Lorenzo de’ Medici, excerpts from the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, sermons by Savonarola, and excerpts from Machiavelli’s The Prince.

The Reformation selections include important writings from Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox including autobiographical accounts of their own conversions. Also included are The 67 Articles of Ulrich Zwingli, the Schleitheim Confession by Michael Sattler, and the Reply of John Wycliffe to his Summons by the Pope to come to Rome.

We are particularly pleased to be able to include in this collection several recently published texts from the Reformation, including two letters from Conrad Grebel (the leader of the Anabaptists in Zurich) to Thomas Müntzer, the leader of the Peasant Rebellion, written in 1525. The letters of Grebel are included by permission from Herald Press of Scottsdale, PA.

Also included in the collection is a lengthy selection from William Tyndale‘s An Answer Unto Sir Thomas More’s Dialogue in which Tyndale eloquently defends his translation of the New Testament into English and his use of the words congregation, elder, and love (rather than church, priest, & charity) which More had charged were serious errors.

The selections from Martin Luther include the complete text of The 95 Theses (1517), as well as lengthy selections from his three great essays of 1520:

  • Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation ( Aug 1520)
  • On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church ( Oct 1520)
  • On the Freedom of a Christian (Nov 1520)

The selections from John Calvin include The Geneva Confession of 1536 and his Reply to Cardinal Sadoleto, written in 1539.

Editor Robert Shearer observed, “Textbooks provide an overview of a time period. A biography helps us to understand the significance of a historical figure, but if you really want to know the people and the times, you must read what they wrote in their own words.”

The source collection should prove to be a valuable resource for students of all ages who wish to study the Renaissance and Reformation, particularly for high school and college students.

Voices of the Renaissance and Reformation is an 8″x10″ paperback, 194 pages and is available for $18.95 directly from Greenleaf Press.

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Marco Polo and Galileo

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Several years ago, National Geographic began publishing a series of World History Biographies targeted at young readers aged 8-12. Each is 64 pages, and (as you might expect from National Geographic) includes lots of illustrations, photographs, and maps. Each title has both an author and an academic/scholar consultant – an expert in the history/culture of the subject – who has worked with the author to insure the accuracy of the text.

The results are impressive. Each of the biographies includes some fascinating details – items that provide insight into character and background. Older readers with an interest in any of these figures will find them an interesting, though quick, read.

Two titles have just become available in paperback: Marco Polo: The Boy Who Traveled the Medieval World and Galileo: The Genius Who Faced the Inquisition.

There are 16 titles so far in the series and eight of them have been released in very affordable ($6.95) paperback editions:

The other eight titles are currently published only as hardback versions (at $17.95 each) on the following figures: Alexander, Julius Caesar, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Saladin, Joan of Arc, Michelangelo, Isaac Newton, Mozart, Anne Frank, and Mao Zedong. As each of these is released in paperback, we’ll add them to the Greenleaf store.

Each of the eight titles linked above is a paperback, 64 pages and sells for $6.95. You can order any of them directly from Greenleaf Press by clicking on the link in this post.

– Rob Shearer, Publisher
Greenleaf Press

book reviews

2008 – Cream of the Crop (so far. . .)

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Joan of Arc by Kathleen Kudlinski

DK has started a new biography series that is quite impressive. It has all the features which have distinguished DK over the years – first and foremost an impressive collection of visual images and an appealing layout rich in details. The marriage of photographic sources with narrative biography is a natural for many of the subjects in the first several dozen titles released – but there is one unusual choice – Joan of Arc. One would not expect there to be such a rich collection of images associated with her, but there are. And they make her story that much more interesting and dramatic. The house where Joan grew up has been preserved (and the photographs are fascinating). As are the contemporary portraits of the King of France and key members of his court. Joan continues to fascinate. She is a national heroine in France. Her conviction as a heretic was reversed 25 years after her death and in the 20th century she was canonized as a Saint.

Text is targeted for ages 10 and up – the pictures make it an easy read for any age. Best of all is the affordable price: $4.99 – available directly from Greenleaf Press.



National Geographic also has a new biography series. Their “world history” biography series has an impressive top-notch selection of authors and subjects. There are three of them out in paperback so far: Hatshepsut, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Elizabeth I. Like the DK series, each is profusely illustrated with four color illustrations on every page, as well as maps, charts, and photographs of historic locations as they appear today. The text is targeted at an 8-12 year old reading level, but each biography is well-told and will inform older readers through adults. Each biography is $7.95 and is available directly from Greenleaf Press:

Hatshepsut, The Princess Who Became King, by Ellen Galford

Leonardo Da Vinci, The Genius Who Defined the Renaissance by John Phillips

Elizabeth I, The Outcast Who Became England’s Queen by Simon Adams

Other titles, scheduled for release in the near future include Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Saladin, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Michelangelo, Galileo, and Isaac Newton

All of these are new for 2008. We now have over 1400 titles reviewed and available for sale on the Greenleaf web site. They’ve all been individually selected and reviewed by Rob personally. If, for any reason, you’re not satisfied with a book you’ve ordered from us, you can return it unconditionally for a full refund of the purchase price.

I’ll have some more reviews to share next week – Cheryl Harness has some great new presidential biographies out, among other new titles