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Article: The Art of the Network: Strategic Interaction and Patronage in Renaissance Florence.(Book review)
- Article from:
- Renaissance Quarterly
- Article date:
- September 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 The Renaissance Society of America. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Paul D. McLean. The Art of the Network: Strategic Interaction and Patronage in Renaissance Florence.
Durham: Duke University Press, 2007. xvi + 288 pp. index. illus. tbls. bibl. $22.95. ISBN: 978-08223-4117-8.
Historians might find it difficult getting into this sociological study of networking, and especially so through the first chapter, which catalogs recent work by sociologists on the topics of interpersonal relationships and network formation. There are rewards, however, for those who persevere. The concept of applying contemporary sociological theory to an examination of historical documents--in this case about 1,100 letters written by Florentines ...