'important study ... subtle and informative book' Times Literary Supplement 'This book is a welcome addition to the literature on the papal Curia in the Renaissance. As so much of what has been written about the Curia is in German, it is useful for English readers to have this account of the workings of the Curia and the responsibilities of ... Read moreits officials in English.' Christine Shaw, London School of Economics, History, June 1992 'a valuable companion to Peter Partner's earlier studies of the papal state and the society of Renaissance Rome ... this book is a welcome addition to the field of Renaissance studies, in particular because it shows us the shaky financial underpinnings and bloated bureaucracy that were beneath the beguiling artistic and cultural programs of the Renaissance papacy.' Nancy Spatz, University of Colorado, Speculum - A Journal of Medieval Studies, July 1993 'without doubt the most important study of papal administration to date. ... an excellent analysis of the way early modern governments used buraucracy, and the political price paid to the oligarchies from which these governments recruited their senior officials.' The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies Vol. 53 'important monograph ... The author explains most clearly and in detail how the pope's civil service functioned at the heart of government of the universal church. Dr Partner's scholarly and original study is fascinating in its implications, and it underlines the possibilities of institutional history, an area which in England has been neglected.' Cecil H. Clough, University of Liverpool, Renaissance Studies, Vol. 7, No. 4 '93 Show Less