Books



CONCIATORE, The Life and Times of 17th Century Glassmaker Antonio Neri 




Paul Engle 




2016 Gold medal winner, Independent Publishers Book Awards for European Nonfiction. 

2016 Category Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Awards.

Finalist in the 2015 Independent Authors Network Book of the Year Awards. 


Hardcover: 394 pages
Publisher: H&E Press (21 December 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0974352954
Dimensions : 7.25 x 10.25 in
Price: $59.95 USD



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Praise for Conciatore:

"In Conciatore Engle draws upon his years of research and dedicated expertise to provide an impressively well written and exceptionally well organized and presented biography of the life, times, and accomplishments of a pioneering 17th Century European glass maker." 
-The Midwest Book Review

"I opened the book and did not put it down for four hours, an amazingly detailed history of early glass making. I recommend this to everyone." -Max  Erlacher, glass engraver, Steuben Glass

"Conciatore by Paul Engle is an amazing account of the life of Antonio Neri. A must read especially if you have the three volume L'Arte Vetraria, The Art of Glass by Antonio Neri Translated & Annotated by Engle." -Victor Trabucco, glass artist.

"Paul Engle spent years tracing the record of one of the most colorful characters in the history of glass, Antonio Neri. He delivers a fascinating historical record of glassmaking in early modern Europe." -Sally Prasch, scientific glassblower, glass artist.

 "Meticulously researched, yet highly readable, this book explores the life and times of Antonio Neri; a legend, but also a real man who experienced the drama and intrigues of life in late Renaissance Florence. A must read for any glass enthusiast, history buff, or anyone who likes an amazing tale." -Louise Erskine, Glass Artist and Collector

"Conciatore deserves to be read and discovered. I read it twice; the first time I was captured by the book and I could not stop until the end. The second time I enjoyed it slowly, page after page. It is really a good book."   
-Maria Grazzini, independent researcher.

Conciatore:

Who was Antonio Neri? A new biography by Paul Engle details the life and times of the author of the first and most famous book on making glass. Venture into the mysterious world of a late Renaissance priest and alchemist; not a fictional character but a real flesh and blood man. Antonio Neri plied his craft in Florence, Pisa and Antwerp at the beginning of the seventeenth century. He was both a contemporary of Galileo, and a devotee of Paracelsus. Sponsored by a Medici prince, he is best known for writing L'Arte Vetraria

Explore the cobbled streets of his home town, Florence, where his father served as court physician to the grand duke. Find out why it was not so strange for alchemy to be part of the education of a Catholic priest and why it was essential for a glassmaker to be an alchemist. Neri delighted European royalty with his glass formulations and artificial gems, but his interests ranged far wider. His work spanned the development of new medicines, attempts to make the fabled philosopher's stone and to transmute metals. The quest to make gold was not a simple folly; it spawned the experimental techniques that underpin modern science. Here, for the first time, the disparate threads of Antonio Neri's life are gathered together and assembled into a colorful tapestry. 


Paul Engle is an independent researcher living in Massachusetts. He is author of an English language translation of Neri's L'Arte Vetraria and of peer reviewed articles on Neri's life and work. Engle is the author of the blog www.conciatore.org.

5 comments:

  1. Hello Paul! I am wanting to order Conciatore, and am wanting also to purchase L'Arte de Vertraria volumes I, II, and III at the same time. Amazon.ca only has volumes I and III. Does your publisher have them all for sale, by chance?

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, thanks so much for your interest! v.2 of L'Arte Vetraria is out of print; I am planning a combined single volume edition, but that will not be out for several months (at least). If you email me: paul at conciatore dot org I may be able to help locate one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello,
    I have just ordered your book and would like to ask about the new edition of Neri's translation in one volume. I see you announced it back in 2016 but it does not seem to have been published yet?
    Best regards,

    Rafał Prinke
    Poznań, Poland

    ReplyDelete