the libraries of the wealthy in the1740’s. “Complaints inthe second half of the fifteenth century from book-purchasers that dealers were passing offmass-produced (that is, printed) copies as if they had been handwritten....”(137). This isevidence to the fact that handwritten books were more valuable. The publishers made theprinted books look as much like hand written as possible. This is a clue into the mind ofthe publishers, and their schemes to make money from the aristocracy. Jardine has a lot to say about the importance of the Ottoman empire in theRenaissance. She discusses how Suleiman the Magnificent was just as important a leaderof culture as was Henry VIII or King Francis I. Suleiman patronized the arts, architecture,and scholarship, as well as amassed collections of manuscripts. The city of Constantinoplewas a dominating route from the Black Sea into the eastern Mediterranean. This was avery important area to trade. Jardine’s point is: that if it is important to the trade then it isimportant to culture. Constantinople was very important in the spread of culturethroughout the Renaissance. It was a city of much diversity and cultural influence. “Itfunctioned as a kind of valve through which goods flowed from the Oriental markets in theEast and European markets in the West”(37).It is my opinion that Jardine was successful in defending her thesis with this book. The facts are all directed at her point, and nothing she said seemed to be out of line. Thevery concise details of Renaissance life that she presents leads the reader to understand theimportance of power, money, and material goods in the motivations of the “Renaissanceman.”The biases of the book are not easy to identify. Jardine is not concerned with therediscovery of classical literature as an influence on Western European culture. She is notconcerned with the fact that painters of the era are valued for the aes...
