Renaissance Vision from Spectacles to Telescopes

"[A] great achievement…Ilardi has done more than expand our knowledge of a particular area of history….He has created a substantial history of eyeglasses that had not existed before."—Pamela O. Long, Speculum

"If the early history of eyeglasses were a geographical territory, this book would be its Michelin Guide. Like any good tour book, it is authoritatively informative without being pedantic, often entertaining, and satisfyingly comprehensive…It is the product of decades of research and thought informed throughout by Ilardi’s vast knowledge of social, political, intellectual, and economic developments…[A] truly definitive study that bids fair to remain so for decades to come."—A. Mark Smith, Muncius

"[A]rguably the most important book on the history of spectacles."—David A. Fleischman, The Online Museum and Encyclopedia of Vision Aids

"[A] masterful, scholarly, and readily readable work…a tour de force…truly brilliant!"—Jay M. Enoch, Hindsight: Journal of Optometry History

"A comprehensive and painstakingly researched account."—Ophthalmic Antiques

"Delightfully absorbing."—Colloquy