In this study, Peter Burke distances himself from the traditional interpretation of the Renaissance as essentially Italian, self-consciously modern and easily separable from the Middle Ages. He emphasizes the survival of medieval traditions and the process of the creative adaptation of classical forms and values to their new cultural and social contexts in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. This new edition has been updated throughout to take account of recent scholarship, has a fully revised bibliography and will provide the reader with a stimulating introduction to the subject.