✨ Featured Offer
Overview
In the winter of 1417, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late thirties plucked a very old manuscript off a dusty shelf in a remote monastery, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. He was Poggio Bracciolini, the greatest book hunter of the Renaissance. His discovery, Lucretius' ancient poem On the Nature of Things, had been almost entirely lost to history for more than a thousand years.
It was a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functions without the aid of gods, that religious fear is damaging to human life, that pleasure and virtue are not opposites but intertwined, and that matter is made up of very small material particles in eternal motion, randomly colliding and swerving in new directions. Its return to circulation changed the course of history. The poem's vision would shape the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein, and--in the hands of Thomas Jefferson--leave its trace on the Declaration of Independence.
From the gardens of the ancient philosophers to the dark chambers of monastic scriptoria during the Middle Ages to the cynical, competitive court of a corrupt and dangerous pope, Greenblatt brings Poggio's search and discovery to life in a way that deepens our understanding of the world we live in now.
"An intellectually invigorating, nonfiction version of a Dan Brown-like mystery-in-the-archives thriller." --Boston Globe
It was a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functions without the aid of gods, that religious fear is damaging to human life, that pleasure and virtue are not opposites but intertwined, and that matter is made up of very small material particles in eternal motion, randomly colliding and swerving in new directions. Its return to circulation changed the course of history. The poem's vision would shape the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein, and--in the hands of Thomas Jefferson--leave its trace on the Declaration of Independence.
From the gardens of the ancient philosophers to the dark chambers of monastic scriptoria during the Middle Ages to the cynical, competitive court of a corrupt and dangerous pope, Greenblatt brings Poggio's search and discovery to life in a way that deepens our understanding of the world we live in now.
"An intellectually invigorating, nonfiction version of a Dan Brown-like mystery-in-the-archives thriller." --Boston Globe
| ISBN-13 | 9780393343403 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 0393343405 |
| Weight | 0.98 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 5.50 x 1.10 x 8.30 In |
| List Price | $18.95 |
| Format | Paperback |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Pages | 368 pages |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Published On | 2012-09-04 |
View All Offers
Sort by:
Price
Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Good
Seller details
Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Book is considered to be in good or better condition. The actual cover image may not match the sto...
Free delivery by: 31 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Goodbookscafe
Macon, GA, USA
Book is in good condition but contains MINOR WRITING INSIDE THE BOOK.
Free delivery by: 31 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Dream Books Co.
Denver, CO, USA
Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting...
Free delivery by: 31 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Blue Vase Books
Interlochen, MI, USA
Free delivery by: 31 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
The Happy Book Stack
Bell Buckle, TN, USA
Book is in good condition and has some writing underlining and or highlighting inside. Cover may hav...
Free delivery by: 31 Mar 2026
✨ Brand New
Seller details
Bookstores.com
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026