Panorama of the Enlightenment

Thames & Hudson, 2006. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine Condition/Very Good. Clean bright glossy pages, firmly bound; unclipped jacket, a few superficial scratch marks near upper edge on rear of jacket. A large, heavy volume. Dorinda Outram succeeds in combining a very well written text with a spectacular variety of illustrations to produce an account of the Enlightenment that is both subtly nuanced and interesting to read. The rich selection of paintings, engravings and architectural illustrations take us inside the world of 18th century enquiry. The Enlightenment is a complex phenomenon with many different outlooks in many different centres. Outram explains very well the controversies and disagreements, while still conveying the extraordinary journey of European culture from the authority of the church and the monarch to the enquiring mind of the citizen. There are as many definitions of the Enlightenment as there are major figures within it - Newton, Kant, Rousseau, Voltaire, Diderot - but this book is a marvellous introduction. From radical feminists to enlightened authoritarian rulers, the arguments of the Enlightenment reverberate to this day. (Reader review) 319 pages. Quantity Available: 1. Category: History; ISBN/EAN: 9780500251317. Inventory No: dscf8976. . 9780500251317