Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance (I Tatti Studies in Italian Renaissance History) Hardcover – October 13, 2014

I am taking the reading of this one slowly, because it's jam-packed with terrific science history stuff. Dr. Palmer's writing is exact, wide-reaching and insightful as well as entertaining. I look forward to future books from her about science and the history of thought. Her series on her blog about Machiavelli is stunningly good, too. I secretly hope she'll write a book about him someday, if she does it as well as she's written this one.

I am far from a specialist in this field, but as a person with some intellectual curiosity, I found the book fascinating. Palmer's painstaking scholarship is evident on every page, and her writing style is clear and thoughtful. What is most important is that Palmer took a great deal of time to explain why Lucretius matters and why her topic matters in the 21st century. Her book is a major contribution to scholarship, but it is also a book that anyone interested in the history of ideas, and in how our civilization evolved, would want to read.

I adore Lucretius and this book was filled with wonderful information. Scholarly so probably not a match for everyone's interests or needs. I am not a Lucretius scholar but I have read de Rerum Natura several times and I was hungry to learn more about this amazing text. Palmer explores the marginalia, which apparently is a common scholarly approach to historical analysis, but works beautifully here. Much to learn.

impeccable