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Relentless Visionary
If asked to list important inventors, few remember to include Alessandro Volta. Yet, his is a household name more spoken than that of Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright Brothers, or even Thomas Edison. That’s because the terms “volt” and “voltage” can be attributed to Volta, the inventor of the “Voltaic pile,” which is recognized as the first electric battery. A product of the Age of Enlightenment—a time when ideas about reason, science, literature and liberty took center stage—Volta employed a very modern, hands-on approach to his work. Though he had no formal education, he was the first person to identify the gas known as methane, and created the first authoritative list of conducting metals. Alessandro Volta saw things not just as they were, but as what they could be. He was a disrupter, an innovator and a visionary. Above all, he was relentless. Without Volta’s hunger to create and his drive to invent and discover, we might not have electric cars, laptops, cellphones, and hearing aids today.
Soldier, Diplomat, Archaeologist
He fought for himself. He fought for his country. He fought for acceptance. As the son of an Italian count, Cavalry Colonel Louis Palma di Cesnola had more military experience than most of the leading officers in the Civil War. Objecting to his general’s orders, di Cesnola led his men into battle, earning himself a Medal of Honor. When di Cesnola was captured and thrown into the notorious Libby Prison, he was forced to examine his life decisions. Upon release, di Cesnola was torn between his desire to return to war or to his wife and daughter—a battle of his heart and his duty. Once the war ended, di Cesnola became America’s consul for archaeological excavators, and eventually became the first director of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. With every step of success, di Cesnola was forced to prove himself in a country that emphatically disapproved of immigrants. His plight forged a path of national acceptance of Italian-Americans throughout the entire country.
The Dream of Life
Too young to hear the drum beat of a world preparing for war, little Federico daydreamed on the shores of Italy's Adriatic Sea. At night the boy soared over his provincial town, his head swimming with fantastical visions unconstrained by earthly boundaries and limitations. As he came of age, Fellini found his soul in the heart of Rome. Through his work as a caricaturist and journalist he played a leading role in the city's avant-garde scene and soon found his inspiration behind the film camera. Fellini held tight to the world of childhood, imagination and the dream state. His ability to capture the frailty and wonder of what it is to be human, and to find irony, humor and beauty in the life of post war Italy earned him four best Foreign Language Oscars. Film directors worldwide study his craft in neo-realist masterpieces such as I Vitellonni, La Strada, La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2 the magic of which gave birth to the well-familiar addition to our lexicon—Felliniesque.
At Last
The golden age of the Hollywood musical celebrated through the life of unsung hit-maker Harry Warren. Eliciting a swell of nostalgia, Harry Warren’s jaunty melodies lift our spirits as much today as they did for Depression-era moviegoers. Navigating a business already known for its glamour, excess, and ruthless business practices, Warren quietly but resplendently helped create a new American art form. A self-taught musician, Warren was nominated for eleven best original song Academy Awards and took home three Oscars. He composed twenty musicals including 42nd Street and unforgettable American standards such as "We’re in the Money," "Chattanooga Choo Choo," and “That’s Amore.” At Last brings readers on a journey through yesteryear's Tin Pan Alley, Busby Berkeley set pieces, cocktails with the Gershwins, and the creative and collaborative process of a prolific musical genius.
The Faithful
The rule of power in Europe is changing... Born in Italy at the tumultuous end of France’s influence in Europe, Giuseppe Verdi would go on to become the world’s most recognizable name in opera. Set against the rise of the Italian states in the middle of the 19th Century, The Faithful depicts an artist bedeviled by his role not just as a composer, but as an unassuming icon of the Italian Unification and the birth of modern Italy. Through chance encounters in gilded Milanese salons and the hushed politics of the Italian opera, we experience the struggles of a man conflicted by his role as an artist and his commitment to a country yearning for independence.
The Soul of a Child
The Soul of a Child places brilliant educator and reformer Maria Montessori in the context of her time. It examines the relationships, inner struggles, and inspirations of Montessori, a woman with heart, empathy, and resilience. As a strong woman who lived through two world wars, the rise of Fascism in Spain and Italy and the dawn of the nuclear age, she remained undeterred in her faith in the possibility of positive change through education. Her life spanned both the joys of innovation and the horrors of destruction of the twentieth century. Her influence on education and humanism remains resonant and enduring.
Breaking Barriers
They said, “No!” She asked, “Why?” The answer was always the same: “Because you’re a woman.” She vowed to shatter each barrier they placed in her way. Inquisitive and precocious, Laura Bassi grew up on the Italian Peninsula in the 1700s, dreaming of studying science at the famed University of Bologna. It was the Age of Enlightenment and although forward-thinking philosophical ideas and scientific discoveries flourished, the prevailing edict was that college was no place for a woman—no matter how capable, intelligent, or innovative. Laura was told to trust that she would find fulfillment as a dutiful wife and mother. But why, she wondered, couldn’t she have it all?Smugly ass...
Building Heaven's Ceiling
His greatest accomplishment came after his greatest disappointment. One of the founding fathers of the Renaissance, Filippo Brunelleschi was more than an Italian designer. Brunelleschi made his mark in architecture and construction. In his early years, sculpting was Brunelleschi’s passion. But after being passed over for a major commission, he set his sights on architecture, and changed the landscape of Italy as it is known today. Brunelleschi’s most prominent contribution, the dome of Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, was the first of its kind, paving the way for bigger and more elaborate domes to come. His invention of machines to facilitate the construction of the dome, allowed future structures to not only be imagined, but to be erected as well. With his imagination, understanding of linear perspective, focus on geometric principles, and intellect for mathematics, Brunelleschi influenced the rise of modern science and architecture worldwide.
The Architect Who Changed Our World
From ancient ruins he carved a staircase to his dreams and a style that continues to instill beauty and harmony across the world. In a time when birth and class determined one’s destiny, Andrea Palladio’s father recognized there was nothing common about his son and vowed to nurture his gifts. Impressed by the boy’s sketches, quick mind, and ease with numbers, influential mentors took an interest in young Palladio and he didn’t disappoint. Palladio’s life experiences, talents, and apprenticeships with stone carvers led him to an unexpected career—architecture. Commissioned by nobles who had no design experience, but plenty of opinions, each new project came with a unique set of pr...
Dreams of Discovery
A determined man with a dream whose mentors and friendships supported him through his difficult life’s journey. John Cabot was born Giovanni Caboto in Genoa, Italy. As a child, he dreamed of captaining a ship across a mysterious, uncharted ocean, from Europe to the riches of China. There was another boy in Genoa at the same time, with the same dream: Christopher Columbus. The Turks, in the fifteenth century, had a stranglehold on the trade routes to the Far East. Europe’s race to find an alternative passage was heating up. But an explorer needed patrons, funds, ships—and a vision. Whereas Columbus had taken a south and west route from Spain, Cabot was convinced a more northern route from England would lead directly to China. Cabot remained convinced, even on his deathbed, that he’d reached China—not realizing he’d claimed much of North America for his patron, the King of England, and made an amazing contribution to the fabric of America.
