An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

Dante Alighieri

2 books referenced

Books by Dante Alighieri

Divine Comedy

Referenced in 2 episodes

572. The Medici: Masters of Florence (Part 1)

June 08, 2025

Context:

Referenced when discussing Cosimo's concerns about usury and the afterlife - 'he is undoubtedly familiar with something like Dante's Divine Comedy' where usurers are depicted in hell

346: The Mystery of the Holy Grail (Part 2)

June 29, 2023

Context:

Referenced in comparison to Galahad's beatific vision: 'Because basically what Galahad has is what Dante also gets in the Divine Comedy, which is what's called the beatific vision.'

The Divine Comedy

Referenced in 2 episodes

PAX: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age (Extract)

September 18, 2023

Context:

Referenced as Dante's 'great poem' in which he placed the Emperor Trajan in paradise, due to medieval Christian admiration for Trajan's virtue

105. Classics

October 07, 2021

Context:

Mentioned as one of the foundational texts of European and world literature, specifically discussing how Virgil's ghost appears to guide Dante through the underworld