Peter Tafuri

One of the great things about modern libraries that is sometimes taken for granted is the access to books of many cultures and ages they make available.  Such was not always the case. With the fall of the Roman Empire in …

Bringing the dead back to life has long been the stuff of miracles and horror stories, strictly due to supernatural forces, whether good or evil.  However, starting with Galileo, the Father of Modern Science, people searched for a more naturalistic explanation …

Vampires existed in folklore for centuries, gruesome, repulsive, rotting horrors that mindlessly preyed on the blood of the living.  The modern version is quite different; while still requiring liquid refreshment, they appear as eerily attractive, suave, psychologically complex, traveling in …

Calling someone a “Renaissance man” is quite a compliment, even if occasionally misused and misunderstood  in our times.  Fortunately, one of the world’s great autobiographies paints a clear picture of the expression by one who embodied it. Benvenuto Cellini was …

Decking the halls with boughs of holly, wreaths, lights, the Yule log, gifts, feasts, peace on earth, good will towards men, the Nativity Scene (Creche), Christmas carols and Santa Claus are all part of the celebration of Christmas, and all …

Over two thousand named characters, action which spreads across the earth and even to the moon, female warriors, monsters, magic, three main plots, numerous sub-plots, and witty asides by the author all woven together into a veritable “page turner”  make …

A common complaint about old houses is the lack of closets.  The explanation is simple; before the Industrial Revolution the average person owned little more than the clothes he or she was wearing and a few tools and implements, all …

The French Revolution began as an uprising of the people against the tyranny of the ancien regime, but by 1798 Napoleon had risen to power and was on a campaign of conquest throughout Europe.  While some hailed the arrival of …

Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest Emperors of Rome and  an important philosopher, was born on April 26, 121 AD, the son of Marcus Annius Verus and  Domitia Lucilla, who were both from wealthy patrician families.  Despite their status, they practiced the old …

The Renaissance proper began in Florence in the Fourteenth Century, a rebirth of the learning of classical antiquity, the discovery of long lost Greek and Latin literature, and a flowering of art, science  and scholarship – the creation of the …