Sisters

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Steven T. Ross

In From Flintlock to Rifle, Professor Ross traces the development of infantry tactics from the mid-eighteenth century, when infantry fought in rigid linear formations, until the second half of the nineteenth century, by which time infantrymen with rifled weapons were learning to advance in open order and use aimed fire. The author demonstrates that this transition in tactics involved social and technological change as well as military innovation. Old Regime armies, recruited from a narrow social base and armed with slow-firing, short-range, inaccurate weapons, relied upon harsh discipline and formalized evolutions to attain tactical proficiency. When the French Royal Army collapsed it was replaced with a mass citizen army. This contained elements of the old tactical system but placed a new emphasis on mobility, flexibility, and individual initiative. Napoleon's rivals either imitated aspects of the French system or sought to copy the spirit of the new tactics, engineering social reforms from above and creating their own citizen armies. After 1815, generals and politicians continued to develop tactical doctrines that embodied the lessons of the Napoleonic wars. Industrialization had a swift impact on weapons technology and firearms improved in range, accuracy, and rate of fire. As a result, military men had to modify their drill and battle tactics to cope with increased firepower. A process initiated by the French Revolution was thus accelerated by the Industrial Revolution.

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Giorgio Vasari

In his Lives of the Artists of the Italian Renaissance, Vasari demonstrated a literary talent that outshone even his outstanding abilities as a painter and architect. Through character sketches and anecdotes he depicts Piero di Cosimo shut away in his derelict house, living only to paint; Giulio Romano's startling painting of Jove striking down the giants; and his friend Francesco Salviati, whose biography also tells us much about Vasari's own early career. Vasari's original and soaring vision plus his acute aesthetic judgements have made him one of the most influential art historians of all time.

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introduced by James Merrill

Dante, after becoming lost on the path of life, is led by Virgil into Hell to begin his journey back to the light of God.

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Megan Aldrich

In this richly illustrated book, Megan Aldrich traces the story of the Gothic Revival from its beginnings in the small, experimental buildings of the eighteenth century to its ultimate phase in the lavish buildings of the late nineteenth century. The book concentrates on the domestic forms of the style, from its use in castles and country houses to its influence on villas and cottages from the old world to the New World. This book is essential reading for all those interested in architecture and design. It covers the influence of the Gothic style, not only through the work of the great designers such as Burges, Pugin, Viollet-le-Duc and Wyatt, but also through many lesser-known figures. The worldwide influence of the Gothic Revival is amply demonstrated in the large selection of illustrations showing wall, floor and window treatments, as well as furniture. An invaluable source of ideas, this book illustrates much new material and celebrates an important chapter in the history of design.