In this study Peter Burke distances himself from the traditional interpretation of the Renaissance as essentially Italian, self-conciously modern and easily separable from the Middle Ages. He emphasises the survival of medieval traditions and the process of the creative adaptation of classical forms and values to their new cultural and social contexts in Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

The story is carried down to the seventeenth century and the diffusion and disintegration of what had once been a coherent movement. Illustrated with black and white plates, this new edition has been updated throughout to take account of recent scholarship and has a fully revised bibliography and will provide the student with a stimulating introduction to the subject.