Konstantinos Sp. Staikos. The History of the Library in Western Civilization, Vol. V: From Petrarch to Michelangelo. New Castle, Del.: Oak Knoll Press, 2012. xxxi, 588p. $75 (ISBN 9781584561828).

Abstract

The fifth volume in Konstantinos Staikos’ The History of the Library in Western Civilization is essentially a discussion of the beginnings and spread of humanism during the European Renaissance. In this context, a library is not a building designed to house books; it is instead the printed word in and of itself. It is therefore logical that much of the content in From Petrarch to Michelangelo is concerned with how the dissemination of literature complemented and influenced Renaissance thought. To this end, Staikos discusses topics such as the rediscovery of Greek and Roman texts and the impetus to publish new . . .