Ficino's vast programme of study and scholarship, his wonderful reassessment of the classical inheritance in the light of Christian revelation and his unfailing vision of Creation as a loving unity which mankind fully shares, placed him at the very centre of the Florentine Renaissance, with its tremendous energies and glorious achievements.

His fame has been eclipsed as knowledge of Latin has declined but in recent years a number of scholars have begun translating his major works and making them available to the English speaking world, This enables a new generation to rediscover Ficino's vision of Man's potential.

To mark the 500th anniversary of his death in October 1999 these eighteen essays re-examine his life and his work. they focus on three essential aspects: his significance in his own times; his spreading influence throughout Europe and over subsequent centuries in many areas of thought and creativity; and his enduring relevance today.