New Releases by Ross King

The New York Times bestselling, award winning story of the construction of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and the Renaissance genius who reinvented architecture to build it. On August 19, 1418, a competition concerning Florence''s magnificent new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore was announced: "Whoever desires to make any model or design for the vaulting of the main Dome....shall do so before the end of the month of September." The proposed dome was regarded far and wide as all but impossible to build: not only would it be enormous, but its original and sacrosanct design shunned the flying buttresses that supported cathedrals all over Europe. The dome would literally need to be erected over thin air. Of the many plans submitted, one stood out--a daring and unorthodox solution to vaulting what is still the largest dome in the world. It was offered not by a master mason or carpenter, but by a goldsmith and clockmaker named Filippo Brunelleschi, then forty-one, who would dedicate the next twenty-eight years to solving the puzzles of the dome''s construction. In the process, he reinvented the field of architecture. Brunelleschi''s Dome is the story of how a Renaissance genius bent men, materials, and the very forces of nature to build an architectural wonder we continue to marvel at today. Award-winning, bestselling author Ross King weaves this drama amid a background of the plagues, wars, political feuds, and the intellectual ferments of Renaissance Florence to bring the dome''s creation to life in a fifteenth-century chronicle with twenty-first-century resonance.

Per costruire Santa Maria del Fiore i fiorentini avevano abbattuto intere foreste per ricavare il legname delle travi, raso al suolo vecchie chiese e quartieri, esumato i morti dalle tombe attorno al battistero di San Giovanni. La prima pietra era stata posata nel 1296, e nel 1418 mancava un solo particolare: la cupola. Sarebbe stata la più grande mai costruita e doveva levarsi verso il cielo senza sostegni visibili. Fu indetto un concorso e a vincerlo fu un orafo e scultore che sarebbe diventato un genio del Rinascimento: Filippo di ser Brunellesco. Un saggio in cui le vicende della costruzione della cupola e del brillante Brunelleschi, orgoglioso delle sue invenzioni e ossessionato dalle macchinazioni dei rivali, si intrecciano alla narrazione degli eventi - guerre, epidemie, lotte politiche - e dei fermenti intellettuali di un''epoca straordinaria. La creazione di un capolavoro, capace di resistere ai fulmini, ai terremoti, al passare dei secoli, che oggi incanta chiunque lo osservi da lontano o salga lungo le sue strutture; incarnando, ai nostri occhi, lo spirito del Rinascimento e di Firenze.

Responding to a cryptic summons to a remote country house, London bookseller Isaac Inchbold finds himself responsible for restoring a magnificent library pillaged during the English Civil War, and in the process slipping from the surface of 1660s London into an underworld of spies and smugglers, ciphers and forgeries. As he assembles the fragments of a complex historical mystery, Inchbold learns how Sir Ambrose Plessington, founder of the library, escaped from Bohemia on the eve of the Thirty Years War with plunder from the Imperial Library. Inchbold''s hunt for one of these stolen volumes - a lost Hermetic text - soon casts him into an elaborate intrigue; his fortunes hang on the discovery of the missing manuscript but his search reveals that the elusive volume is not what it seems and that he has been made an unwitting player in a treacherous game.

Na De koepel van Brunelleschi, over de Dom in Florence, en De hemel van de paus, over Michelangelo''s meesterwerk in de Sixtijnse Kapel, buigt Ross King zich nu over Het Laatste Avondmaal in het klooster Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milaan. Dit wereldberoemde schilderij van Leonardo da Vinci wordt door miljoenen bewonderd en is door talloze kunsthistorici geanalyseerd. King vertelt het verhaal van de ontstaansgeschiedenis van dit schilderij, waaraan Da Vinci vijf jaar werkte. De schepping van het monumentale kunstwerk is ingebed in de levensgeschiedenis van de kunstenaar. Niet alleen Da Vinci zelf komt tot leven, Leonardo en Het Laatste Avondmaal schetst ook een magnifiek portret van de woelige sociale context van Milaan in het Italië aan het einde van de vijftiende eeuw. br? Ross King (1962) schreef twee romans en is auteur van de internationale bestsellers en ook in Nederland diverse malen herdrukte iDe koepel van BrunelleschiDe hemel van de paus. Michelangelo en de Sixtijnse Kapel (2003). Ross King woont in Oxford.

Un viaggio all''interno della Cappella Sistina per osservare da vicino l''ombroso e tormentato Michelangelo mentre dà vita a uno dei più grandi capolavori della pittura mondiale. Nel 1508 papa Giulio II affidò al giovane Buonarroti - già celebre scultore, poco più che un dilettante come pittore - il compito immane di affrescare la volta di un edificio dedicato a Sisto IV della Rovere, sulle cui pareti avevano lavorato grandi maestri del calibro di Botticelli, Ghirlandaio e Perugino. Questo libro è il racconto dei quattro burrascosi anni in cui Michelangelo realizzò la sua opera senza tempo; quattro anni di fatiche, esperimenti, gelosie e giochi di potere. È una formidabile galleria di personaggi animati da grandi passioni: Giulio II, il vecchio papa guerriero; Michelangelo, introverso, sospettoso, incline a riconoscere ovunque intrighi e complotti ai propri danni; Raffaello, giovane e affascinante uomo di mondo, impegnato in quegli stessi anni ad affrescare gli appartamenti vaticani. Un''avventura che ci trascina nel cuore del secolo d''oro dell''arte italiana, a tu per tu con il più geniale e inquieto spirito del Rinascimento.

For more than five centuries The Last Supper has been an artistic, religious and cultural icon. The art historian Kenneth Clark called it ''the keystone of European art'', and for a century after its creation it was regarded as nothing less than a miraculous image. And yet there is a very human story behind this artistic ''miracle''. Ross King''s Leonardo and the Last Supper is both a ''biography'' of one of the most famous works of art ever painted and a record of Leonardo da Vinci''s last five years in Milan.

Reading Bangkok presents stories and meanings derived from the built fabric and spaces of Thailand''s capital city. The narrative shifts from King Taksin''s mostly forgotten but wondrous Thonburi to the tourist spectacle of Rattanakosin, Dusit and Ratchadamnoen (King Rama V''s superficial emulation of an admired, imperialist Europe), Sukhumvit "Road" (consumer land), and the slums that are an integral part of the modern city. The author structures the book around external intrusions and local resistance. Geographically, this process is seen in movement from centre to periphery (Thonburi, Rattanakosin, Ratchadamnoen, Sukhumvit, Ratchadapisek, Khlong Toei, the universities). Chronologically, the city underwent various forms of colonization: incorporation of the periphery, which in turn colonized Bangkok; the economic colonization of the 19th and 20th centuries; colonization by consumption brought on in large part by globalized tourism; colonization by the "better" ideas of others (typically from the West); and finally colonization by "better" ways of thinking - notably the intrusions of the universities and of popular democracy. This exceptionally innovative study draws on urban planning and development, history, anthropology, and political economy, and a rich body of empirical data to provide insights into the maze of power relations, inequalities and global influences that is normally hidden from view. Reading Bangkok is that rare thing, a study that genuinely changes the way its subject is seen and understood.

Beginning in 1912, Defiant Spirits traces the artistic development of Tom Thomson and the future members of the Group of Seven, Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Franz Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J. E. H. MacDonald, and Frederick Varley, over a dozen years in Canadian history. Working in an eclectic and sometimes controversial blend of modernist styles, they produced what an English critic celebrated in the 1920s as the “most vital group of paintings” of the 20th century. Inspired by Cézanne, Van Gogh and other modernist artists, they tried to interpret the Ontario landscape in light of the strategies of the international avant-garde. Based after 1914 in the purpose-built Studio Building for Canadian Art, the young artists embarked on what Lawren Harris called “an all-engrossing adventure”: travelling north into the anadian Shield and forging a style of painting appropriate to what they regarded as the unique features of Canada’s northern landscape. Rigorously researched and drawn from archival documents and letters, Defiant Spirits constitutes a “group biography,” reconstructing the men’s aspirations, frustrations and achievements. It details not only the lives of Tom Thomson and the members of the Group of Seven but also the political and social history of Canada

O Príncipe, a obra clássica de Maquiavel sobre o poder - como consegui-lo e como mantê-lo - tem exercido enorme influência através dos séculos, inspirando um misto de admiração, medo, e contentamento. SEu autor, um jovem prodígio da classe média florentina no período da Renascença, no entanto, nunca foi príncipe. MAquiavel (1469-1527) foi servidor e diplomata da República de Florença e teve algum prestígio em seu tempo como autor de comédias e poemas. APós o retorno do clã dos Medici ao poder, ele foi exonerado do governo que havia servido por décadas e refugiou-se em sua fazenda. EM uma elaborada e instigante biografia, Ross King resgata a imagem de Maquiavel da caricatura, descrevendo em detalhes o vibrante contexto político e social que influenciou seu pensamento, e ressalta a humanidade de um dos mais importantes filósofos políticos da história. O MAquiavel de Ross King frequenta astrólogos, produz vinho, percorre a Europa a cavalo como diplomata, e é um estudioso apaixonado da antiguidade - mas, sobretudo, um observador perspicaz da natureza humana.

New York Times bestselling author Ross King’s biography Machiavelli is “a convincing portrait of one of the most misunderstood thinkers of all time.”* The author of The Prince—his controversial handbook on power, which is one of the most influential books ever written—Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was no prince himself. Born to an established middle-class family, Machiavelli worked as a courtier and diplomat for the Republic of Florence and enjoyed some small fame in his time as the author of bawdy plays and poems. In this discerning biography, Ross King rescues Machiavelli’s legacy from caricature, detailing the vibrant political and social context that influenced his thought and underscoring the humanity of one of history’s finest political thinkers. “Provides a strong sense of the history of both the man and his times and a nice introduction to Machiavelli’s writings. Moreover, like one of Machiavelli’s bawdy plays, it is a riveting and exhilarating read, full of salacious details and brisk prose.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) “An engaging, revealing biography and a vivid portrait of a city-state in turmoil.” —Financial Times

This is a comprehensive and detailed introductory Korean textbook and language learning package. Korean is now the 15th most popular language taught at American universities. This new edition of Elementary Korean, the most comprehensive and detailed introductory Korean textbook available, offers beginning learners of Korean everything they need to learn the language effectively. Perfect for a first-year university-level course use or for the independent language learner. No prior knowledge of the language is necessary. The new format, now with dozens of illustrations, presents Korean vocabulary and Korean grammar in an accessible and understandable manner while extensive conversations and exercises help to reinforce the Korean language and build reading and listening comprehension. This edition includes: An MP3 audio CD and dedicated website. Rich and highly nuanced examples with brand new illustrations. Detailed but on–technical grammar notes, ample writing exercises with an accompanying answer key. Detailed examples of authentic dialogue. Highly technical grammar notes. Plenty of writing practice. Dialogues, reading texts, and written exercises are in Hangul, the Korean alphabet, so students are quickly able to read and write authentic Korean. Layered lessons are designed to build on each other, making Korean easy to learn from the most popular introductory Korean language textbook available. Included is a revised audio CD that helps learners to speak like a native, and a web-based practice component through the University of British Columbia that can help students to learn Korean even beyond the pages of this book. According to the Modern Language Association, enrollment in Korean in American universities is growing rapidly. Available separately is the companion Elementary Korean Workbook. This helpful workbook will assist you in practicing and polishing your Korean language skills. Each lesson supplements the corresponding lesson in the textbook. There are ten activities per lesson, offering a range of exercises and practice opportunities to enable you to achieve proficiency in everyday, conversational Korean.

With a novelist''s skill and the insight of an historian, bestselling author Ross King recalls a seminal period when Paris was the artistic center of the world, and the rivalry between Meissonier and Manet. The Judgment of Paris chronicles the dramatic decade between two famous exhibitions-the scandalous Salon des Refuses in 1863 and the first Impressionist showing in 1874-set against the rise and dramatic fall of Napoleon III and the Second Empire after the Franco-Prussian War. A tale of many artists, it revolves around the lives of two, described as "the two poles of art"-Ernest Meissonier, the most famous and successful painter of the 19th century, hailed for his precision and devotion to history; and Edouard Manet, reviled in his time, who nonetheless heralded the most radical change in the history of art since the Renaissance. Out of the fascinating story of their parallel lives, illuminated by their legendary supporters and critics-Zola, Delacroix, Courbet, Baudelaire, Whistler, Monet, Hugo, Degas, and many more-Ross King shows that their contest was not just about Art, it was about competing visions of a rapidly changing world.

Arguably Southeast Asia’s most spectacular city, Kuala Lumpur—widely known as KL—has just celebrated fifty years as the national capital of Malaysia. But KL now has a very different twin in Putrajaya, the country’s new administrative capital. Where KL is a diverse, cosmopolitan, multiracial metropolis, Putrajaya fulfills an elitest vision of a Malay-Muslim utopia. KL’s multicultural richness is reflected in the brilliance and diversity of its architecture and urban spaces; Putrajaya, by contrast, is an architectural homage to an imagined Middle East. The "purity" of Putrajaya throws the cosmopolitan diversity of Kuala Lumpur into sharp relief, and the tension between the two places reflects the rifts that run through Malaysian society. In this copiously illustrated book, Ross King considers what form of metropolis the Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya region might foreshadow, arguing that signs of this future city are to be sought in the collision points between the utopian dreams of imagined futures and the reality of purposely forgotten pasts. Drawing on postcolonial studies, media studies, and critical social theory, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya makes a significant contribution to architecture, urban planning, urban design, and Malaysian politics and society.

The author proposes solutions for controlling the cost of living and for stemming the decline of morals and democracy.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Inductive Logic Programming, ILP 2004, held in Porto, Portugal, in September 2004. The 20 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in the book. The papers address all current topics in inductive logic programming, ranging from theoretical and methodological issues to advanced applications in various areas.

Ross King’s delightful, Rabelaisian novel recounts the adventures of young George Cautley, an aspiring artist who, as he makes his way through London’s high society, finds that nothing is as it seems and everyone wears a disguise. Moving from masquerade balls in London to the magnificent and mysterious opera houses of Venice, Cautley is drawn into a web of intrigue and murder spun by the seductive and tempestuous Lady Beauclair. Suspenseful, menacing, and laced with black humor, King’s picaresque tale is full of surprisesand suspense, told at the pace of a thriller and with the richness of a restored painting.

本书详细描述了布鲁内莱斯基完成圣·玛利亚百花大教堂园顶的故事,了解到十五世纪的世界中最文明的城市,如何进行着最艰难的建筑活动等内容。

Verhalen over de geschiedenis van de bouw van de Santa Maria del Fiore.