Free (DRM-free PDF) Renæssancens verden [Danish Renaissance History Culture Overview]

[ATDrake]

Renæssancens verden: Tænkning, kulturliv, dagligliv og efterliv (The World of the Renaissance: Thinking, Culture, Daily Life, and Afterlife), edited by Ole Høiris & Jens Vellev, is a volume in the Verdensbøger series of Danish-language self-contained titles which provide a comprehensive introductory overview to cultural and historical periods and places comparable to Routledge or the Oxford University Press' similar series in English, this one focusing on Exactly What It Says In The Title, free courtesy of the Aarhus University Press in Denmark.

This is their Danish-language Free Book of the Month selection for October, and it's a very lengthy and substantial title (over 500 pages long), with a quite a number of essays upon various topics in its four subject matters covering many aspects of peoples' lives and attitudes throughout the global Renaissance, with a bit of emphasis on the Nordic versions of such, but also some essays focused on stuff that was happening in other countries. It's also lavishly photo-illustrated with samples of period artwork and artifacts, including what looks like an archaeological architectural excavation (complete with floor plan diagrams) of vaulted cellars in Danish towns, if you happen to be into that sort of thing and can read Danish (or are willing to copy-paste into Google Translate).

Currently free throughout October directly @ the university's dedicated promo page (DRM-free PDF available worldwide), and you can read more about the title on its regular catalogue page.

This is a ~45 meg file which you probably don't want to download on a device with data limits.

Beskrivelse på dansk
Renæssancen belyses i tekst og billeder som en epoke i sig selv og som mellemled mellem den religiøst dominerede middelalder og den verdslige modernitet.

Renæssancen var en af de mest revolutionerende epoker i historien. Jorden blev flyttet væk fra universets centrum; Gud overlod verden til menneskenes ansvar; reformationen medførte en ny opfattelse af det at være kristen; Europa blev hærget af langvarige religionskrige; verdenshandlen kom på europæiske hænder; Europa blev verdens dominerende militærmagt; og verdenskortet blev vendt, så Europa kom øverst.

Kort sagt blev grundlaget for den moderne verden skabt i renæssancen. Tvivlen blev både intellektuel og kunstnerisk produktiv, studiet af den virkelige verden fik forrang over filosofiske og teologiske udledninger, og verden viste sig meget større og kulturelt mere mangfoldig, end nogen hidtil havde kunnet forestille sig.

At forstå denne verden med henblik på at skabe menneskelig frihed, lykke og rigdom blev det store projekt, der udsprang af renæssancen.

[ATDrake]

Just a reminder that this will probably be the last day to pick up the freebie, if you think you might be interested.