Ideas shape men, and men make history. Built on this premise, the Idols of History series explores modern European history through the lens of the Great Books. These volumes, each with a foreword from leading academic executives, explore both primary and secondary source classics about each era from the Italian High Renaissance to the Cold War. The perfect resource for high school history classrooms, these books will change the world by creating sharper minds and broadening civics education in the West. From Readers' ...
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Ideas shape men, and men make history. Built on this premise, the Idols of History series explores modern European history through the lens of the Great Books. These volumes, each with a foreword from leading academic executives, explore both primary and secondary source classics about each era from the Italian High Renaissance to the Cold War. The perfect resource for high school history classrooms, these books will change the world by creating sharper minds and broadening civics education in the West. From Readers' Favorite: "Idols of History: High Renaissance Italy by Jason Goetz is a fascinating look at a small but important piece of the history of Europe and thus the world. Idols of History is one book in a series that Goetz hopes will illuminate the interplay between the history of Europe and the ideas from the Great Books canon for the next generation. It is a lofty and inspiring goal. Certainly, the next generation could use the help. This project will be very time consuming, to say the least, but based on this volume and the fact that he has already finished quite a few of the proposed volumes, I think he can do it. Idols of History: High Renaissance Italy is the type of book I found for myself as a young high school student browsing my school library shelves, looking for knowledge and opinions about history that would fill in the huge gaps that my formal public education left. I think the tone of Idols of History will appeal to young people of the next generation who want to do the same thing. Idols of History is written in a scholarly yet approachable voice that young people will enjoy and, I believe, find very engaging. It has just enough wit and insight into the lives and motivations of historical personages to keep a young mind reading. I have skimmed through some of the history of the Renaissance in my studies and general reading, but I only had knowledge of some of the main players and that knowledge wasn't very detailed. Jason Goetz introduced me to a lot of new characters and put the entire period into a new perspective for me. In short, I learned a lot. A great book. I wouldn't mind owning the entire series one day."
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