WOMEN OF FLORENCE.
Women of Florence. By Isidore del Lunge. Translated by Mary C. Steegmann. With Preface by Dr. Guido Biagi. (Chatto and Windus. 7s. 6d. net.)—Dr. Biagi, with his intimate • know- ledge of Florence, her ancient history, and her modern writers, has done a great service to the readers of this book in his very informing preface. It places them at once at the right point of view for appreciating justly the interesting work of Professor del Lunge. For the book is really interesting, though the originally rather high-flown and pompous style does not gain in naturalness through translation. Perhaps the first thing that strikes an intelligent English reader is that facts which are evi- dently new to the Italians are not specially so to him. It needs no "feminist" study to teach us that women have had as much influence in Florentine life and history as in life and history every- where else ; and one cannot help a touch of amusement at the thought that this truth should have been solemnly discovered and disinterred from old writings by a distinguished historian and professor in the twentieth century. At the same time, there are many who will enjoy the book without any such reflections. The old life of Florence is lived over again, to a great extent, in its pages, and the women have characters of their own, some- times brought out in such delightfully quaint and natural letters as those of "a Cinque-cento matron,"—Isabella Sacchetti Guicciardini, of Florence and Poppiano. The illustrations are good and interesting.
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