Readership: Scholars and students of Cultural History; Early Modern European History; History of Art and Visual Culture.
Stuart Clark, Professor of History, University of Wales Swansea
"[A] densely argued work." - British Journal for the History of Science
"A major intellectual triumph, an indispensible and enlightening read for all those interested in the early modern body and its senses." - History Workshop Journal
"[This book is] based on prodigiously wide reading and solid scholarship." - The English Historical Review
"This book offers much new information on attitudes during the early modern period, attitudes that have been historically neglected ... [An] important piece of research." - Early Popular Visual Culture
"...compelling...Vanities of the Eye offers readers a taste of the unexpected and fruitful complexities to be gained by turning a serious eye to the historical questions of sight." - Yvonne Gasper Institute for Historical Review
"an impressive and authoritative contribution to the cultural historu of sight that will provide a substantial resource for scholars working in a number of fields." - Jane Partner, Renaissance Quarterly
Preface 1: Species: Vision and values 2: Fantasies: Seeing without what was within 3: Prestiges: Illusions in magic and art 4: Glamours: Demons and virtual worlds 5: Images: The reformation of the eyes 6: Apparitions: The discernment of spirits 7: Sights: King Saul and King Macbeth 8: Seemings: Philosophical scepticism 9: Dreams: The epistemology of sleep 10: Signs: Vision and the new philosophy Bibliography
