Ilardi (emeritus, history, U. of Massachusetts-Amherst) draws on a great number of new archival documents discovered over the past half dozen years, along with relatively new archaeological findings in various regions of Europe. Eyeglasses were invented in Italy, and that is where most of the documentary evidence is, so he perforce spends much attention there, but does also include developments across Europe to the extent possible. Among his topics are early diffusion, markets, international trade, the art, and moving to celestial vision. Annotation 2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
