First published in 1988, Alison Brown's <I>The Renaissance</I> soon established itself as one of the most popular and useful books on this complex topic. For this expanded Second Edition the author has rewritten the text entirely in the light of the wealth of literature published over the past decade. It contains two new chapters, one on the rise of lordships and the impact of the Black Death and one on Renaissance theatre. As ever, the main focus of the book is on the influence of classical ideas on Italy, and although Florence is still central to the book its uniqueness is now viewed more critically.