An influential and prolific Victorian author, Margaret Oliphant (1828–97) is best remembered for her 'Chronicles of Carlingford' – novels which sketch the religious and domestic politics of a provincial community – particularly the most popular in the cycle, Miss Marjoribanks (1866), and for her many book reviews, essays and serialised fiction for Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. Her output included ninety-eight novels, some fifty short stories, works of biography and non-fiction, and a series of cultural histories of European cities, of which this is the first. Originally published in 1876, the book paints a vivid picture of the cultural development of the great city of Florence during the Renaissance through biographical sketches of its key figures. They include Dante, Giotto, Savonarola, and 'he who stands alone amongst the crowd': Michelangelo. Written in an engaging style and illustrated throughout with many fine engravings, this is a work of lasting interest and popular appeal.