Elegantly written, generous and enormously informative, this compact book takes in the fell sweep of Italian history from the Roman Republic up to the present, including the Renaissance and World War II. It has a welcome focus on the essential unity of Italian civilizations, as well as maps and a chronology. This revised second edition of the late Harry Hearder's classic book includes a new chapter by Jonathan Morris on recent history.  (ITL56, $24.99)