"This is a book that does honor to Italian publishing; for the quality of the printing, the faithfulness of the reproductions, the elegance of the page format and, last but not least, the limited price. It is, moreover, a book that offers excellent testimony to the level of "our" art history. The objective was that of producing a volume on the Uffizi which would be both a lasting historical monogram and a concrete, easily usable guide. Accordingly, equal attention had to be focused, in balanced harmony, on the following aspects: the completeness and topicality of the basic scientific information, the quality of the text, the validity and visual impact of the illustrations, and the practical aspects of usage. My friend and colleague Gloria Fossi has, I believe, admirably satisfied these indispensable requisites. All of the works displayed are, in fact, listed with the information essential to the scholar (location, name of artist, sonographic subject, dating, technique, dimensions and inventory number).

All of the artists and all of the works can be consulted in the comprehensive indices arranged in alphabetical order. To find out, for example, whether or not the Venetian painter Paris Bordon is represented in the Uffizi is very simple. It is sufficient to glance through the listings under the letter В where, after Boltraffio and before Boscoli, appears the name of Paris Bordon, represented in the Gallery by two portraits. Obviously, the great majority of the million and a half visitors who enter the Uffizi each year know nothing of Paris Bordon and little enough of Giotto, Leonardo, Caravaggio and Rembrandt. For them, to meet the needs of a cultured but not specialized public in a way that is both interesting and educational, the book is divided into chapters: the Medicean collections, the 13th and the 14th century, the 15th century and so on. These chapters, accompanied by superbly clear descriptions, splendid illustrations and brief supplementary biographies of the great masters, not only illustrate the works displayed according to the usual tourist itinerary but also clarify the history of the museum, the role played by the Medici family, and the nature of the Gallery, which is a magnificent anthology of great Italian and European art. Preparing a book on the Uffizi designed to meet the demands of scientific scholarship as well as those of mass information, a book equally useful to the expert and to the cultured tourist, seemed an almost impossible feat; almost a contradiction in terms. The publishing house Giunti and the editor Gloria Fossi have brilliantly succeeded; and I can only express to them my gratitude and admiration".

Antonio Paolucci