The explosion of creativity that marked the European Renaissance provoked an unprecedented age of exploration and of cross-cultural encounter. From the depths of the Black Plague to the heights of Shakespeare's sonnets, book three of The Humanistic Tradition provides an exciting portrait of this period. In a compelling counterpoint to her description of the Renaissance, Fiero devotes a section to the cultures that came into increasing contact with the burgeoning West - the kingdoms of West Africa and the societies of North, Central, and South America.