The Waning of the Renaissance, 1550-1640 (Yale Intellectual History of the West Se)

In this brilliant new book, William J. Bouwsma amends the conventional view of the European Renaissance as the root and foundation of modern culture, arguing instead that while it had a beginning and a climax, the Renaissance also had an ending. Bouwsma examines closely the waning of the Renaissance culture of freedom and creativity, and he offers an original interpretation of the place of the Renaissance in modern culture. Intellectual History of the West Series

William J. Bouwsma was Sather Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Venice and the Defense of Republican Liberty, John Calvin, and A Usable Past, among other books.