Zirpolo (independent art historian) has written numerous reference works on the medieval and Renaissance periods, among them Historical Dictionary of Renaissance Art and Historical Dictionary of Baroque Art and Architecture. She brings her careful historical discernment to bear in this entry in the "Significant Figures in World History" series. Given the abundance of information on Michelangelo, one may ask what this book adds. The answer is that the book provides an excellent, readable overview of the master’s life, in both timeline and essay form, followed by carefully curated reference entries elucidating everything from individual works of art to contemporaneous figures who intersected with Michelangelo during his long life. Zirpolo writes that the history of il terribilita’s various art works is “terribly complex, making it difficult to piece everything together in an intelligible and engaging way" (p. vii), and yet she has managed to do just that. Zirpolo's astutely crafted entries weigh the primary source evidence and scholarly debates, providing balanced, contextualized information. A carefully selected, 30-page bibliography rounds out the book, giving readers enough resources to delve into the legacy of the great artist without getting too overwhelmed. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates; general readers.

Choice Reviews