L'Europa dell'Illuminismo

by Ulrich Im Hof, Alessandro Califano (Translator)

Un'approfondita analisi delle origini e degli sviluppi dell'Illuminismo, che è contemporaneamente un ampio quadro storico della società europea del Settecento. Ulrich Im Hof (1917-2001) ha insegnato per molti anni Storia moderna all'Università di Berna. Le sue pubblicazioni comprendono opere sulla storia della Svizzera e sul XVIII secolo.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

326 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Anne Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whirlwind tour of the Enlightenment, with a good emphasis on social and organizational roots. I found the discussions of clubs, fraternities, societies and academies particularly interesting. Quite detailed for the length, so it felt packed and fast. I doubt I will recall much of the speedy details, but the broad strokes are useful by themselves, and I made some notes for future reference. (Would have been a bit more useful if the index was stronger, or if there were separate subject and name indices.)

Recommended because it deals with all of Europe, more or less, and not just France, Germany and England (which many such books are prone to do). A good addition to a list of resources on the Enlightenment, but obviously not meant to be "the one book you read" on this very important subject (particularly because it deals only with Europe and only touches briefly here and there on the Americas). Some background knowledge on Enlightenment ideals would help, but I'd say most people could pick this book up and find it readable and interesting. Also recommended because it leads to many, many interesting points to research further.