Vulnera diligentis. Benedetto Luschino , Stefano Dall'Aglio
ondary sources extensively. She has read widely in both French and Italian, though her grasp of English-language scholarship is much more limited. Her citations often pop up in the middle of a sentence, which can be distracting. Chapter 2 summarizes Dominici's biography and his activities as a preacher, writer, diplomat, and pedagogue. Battista successfully delineates the major differences between Dominici and the humanists with regard to education, including the preacher's emphasis upon the importance of religious instruction at home. Comparisons between Dominici and other humanist educators (L.B. Alberti, Maffeo Vegio, and Giovanni Conversini) are useful, but I was surprised that she never cites any of the original sources, instead relying heavily upon Eugenio Garin's work. Here as elsewhere, Battista demonstrates a talent for synthesis and comparison rather than for original discovery. Chapters 3 and 4 consist of a close reading of the Regola. Dominici subdivided his ideas on education into five parts, declaring that children should be instructed about God, obedience, liberty, patriotism, and adversity. The fundamental principle that parents must instill is fear and love of God, to be accomplished through study and moral training. Dominici describes a series of activities that children can engage in, including "liturgical games" where they practice setting up an altar. He further explains the importance of instilling proper habits in children from an early age. In short, Dominici outlines a practical program that stresses Christian morality, civic virtue, and obedience to authority. He is not concerned so much with details of curriculum and intellectual instruction as with the preparation of a child's soul. The fifth and final chapter of the book compares Dominici's pedagogy with that of Maria Montessori. Battista argues that both Dominici and Montessori were pioneers in their efforts to promote child-centric education. Both emphasized the importance of experiential education and tactile sensation for children, as well as a thorough grounding in religion and charity. Despite the praise of Christiane Klapisch-Zuber, which appears in a brief introduction to the book, I found the comparison to be only mildly helpful. Battista does summarize the views of Dominici and Montessori, but she provides little explicit comparison between the two. In the appendix, the author has included a photostat of a sixteenth-century copy of the Regola from the Vatican Library. Also included in the appendix is a transcription of book 4 of the Regola (based on the 1860 edition), which is useful for quick reference. CHRISTOPHER CARLSMITH University of Massachusetts, Lowell