Over the last two decades a complete revolution in Handel's status has taken place. He is now seen both as a titanic figure in music, and as one of the world's favorite composers, with snatches of his work accompanying weddings, funerals, and television commercials the world over. Though unquestiona[...]
William III (1689-1702) & Mary II (1689-94) (Britain's only ever 'joint monarchs') changed the course of the entire country's history, coming to power through a coup (which involved Mary betraying her own father), reestablishing parliament on a new footing and, through commiting Britain to fighting [...]
Italy's greatest novel and a masterpiece of world literature, "The Betrothed "chronicles the unforgettable romance of Renzo and Lucia, who endure tyranny, war, famine, and plague to be together.
Published in 1827 but set two centuries earlier, against the tumultuous backdrop of seventeenth-centu[...]