all at once alien and familiar. Other, cheaper, heavily abridged, versions of this book are available, but if you want the complete rainbow of "famous Renaissance artist" biographies (and some not so famous), written by a fellow artist who actually knew many of the most important figures about whom he wrote (and not just artists: Vasari worked for popes and secular princes who also sponsored the greatest artists of the time), this is it, and really good value for the price. There is one omission in De Vere's early 20th-century rendering of Vasari's huge book: the fascinating Technical Preface with which Vasari introduced the actual historical narratives of the Lives. Fortunately, this is available in an affordable Dover edition (Vasari On Technique). Like his opinions on individual masters, Vasari's historical "facts" will always require current scholarly verification, especially with reference to the artists from the earlier phases of what Vasari called the era of "modern artistic style." But he's the closest we have to an articulate eyewitness account of that amazing time, and even his prejudices and misconceptions are full of interest.