The first idea for this book seemed straightforward enough: a study that embraced Renaissance architecture in all its diversity and wonder. Those good intentions, however, faced the reality of difficult choices and an ocean of literature on each national tradition. Many friends and colleagues came to my aid.
A number of students have helped with the project: Ellen Chang, Alexis Cohen, H. G. Masters, Katherine Sims, Kimberley Skelton, and Christopher Worme. They sorted slides (back in the day), scanned images (more recently), found bibliography, tracked down images, read sections, and were the audience I always had in mind. For one important summer Jacob Roscoe ably assisted with the research on French and Flemish architecture. Over the years I developed several courses out of this material at Yale University and the University of Toronto. I am grateful to all of my students for their interest and excellent ideas.
David Karmon offered advice on all fronts, and was a kind and insightful reader of early drafts. Ellen Chirelstein and Lucy Gent each took on the task of reading a later draft, and helped me in many ways to adjust the tone and language. I am especially thankful to Deborah Howard for her extraordinary help at many stages of the book, at its very beginning and closer to the end, when her careful reading saved me from many errors. Needless to say, any errors that remain are mine alone. Other friends helped in ways personal and professional: Elaine Contant, Bob Hemmer, Maurice Howard, Nancy Lustgarten, Sarah McPhee, Lyndy Pye, and Lorin Starr. Thank you to all these good friends and colleagues.
When possible, I have selected buildings that survive, and almost all of these I have seen first hand. Some trips (several through England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Germany) I made by myself. Yet the book is infinitely richer for the trips taken to see buildings in the excellent company of Hilary Ballon, Howard Burns, Tracy Cooper, Paul Davies, Louise Durning, David Friedman, David Hemsoll, Deborah Howard, Krista de Jonge, Matt Kavaler, Alex Nagel, Scott Opler, Koen Ottenheym, Charles Robertson, and Clare Tilbury. Katie Jakobiec organized an extraordinary trip for me in Poland that left me wanting to see more. Georgia Clarke has been a travelling companion to many of these buildings; and I have always returned from our adventures filled with ideas and information, hundreds of photographs, and many good stories which did not make their way into the text.
Several of these field trips were funded through the generosity of the Griswold Family Fund of Yale University and the Connaught Fellowship at the University of Toronto. A Fellowship from the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies gave me the restful surroundings to write and edit. A Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation coincided with the completion of this manuscript.
Many other friends and colleagues helped with their own areas of expertise, and offered suggestions on interesting buildings and approaches. Hannah Chapelle Wojciehowski kindly allowed me to see her book on groups in the Renaissance before it appeared in print. Nicola Camerlenghi shared his article on architecture and time.
Simon Mason commissioned this book, and Matthew Cotton kindly and patiently saw it to completion. Jackie Pritchard took special care in the final details of editing. With a wonderful eye, Deborah Protheroe found just the right images that conveyed my meaning. And Emma Barber steered the book through production and helped to keep me on track.
As always, Kevin Gallagher was my most important collaborator, listening patiently as I tried to work out problems and always reminding me to back up my laptop. Our son, Innis Odin Gallagher, luckily discovered Harry Potter just as I pushed through to the end.
My deepest thanks, however, are due to my own teachers who offered models of the rigorous, passionate, and open-minded study of architecture. To one of them, Henry A. Millon, I dedicate this book.