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This is a voluminous but easy to read book that takes an individually-focused view of the Renaissance. Palmer demystifies the era through this very human exploration of how this period was defined and imagined by people during and after it.

Discerning broader trends, however, are mostly left to the reader, and are buried amidst entertaining but distracting prose that would be more at home in fiction. Some people will like this, but it wasn't my cup of tea. For example, there's nearly an entire chapter written in second person.

I have some other minor quibbles (use of the term "history lab" rather than department to lend credibility, constant fourth wall breaking, etc.). Overall, if you want to jump into the Renaissance period this will definitely set the table, although further reading to more deeply understand it will probably be necessary.

i have to admit, i expected something like a travel journal and got some kind of a novel. a difficult spot: the meetings and observations in germany in 1958 were interesting, but maybe 'invented'. and the author's reflections about the nature of 'the german', riddled with a reference-game, were rather artificial and old fashioned.