The volume consists of a collection of essays linked to the international conference organised by its editors and held in Rome on the 27–29 October 2005. Although in recent decades scholars have turned their attention increasingly to the French and Italian Reformation, little has been published on this subject with a comparative perspective that seeks to recognise connections, similarities and differences, as well as to make historical generalisations. This volume helps to fill that gap and constitutes a welcome addition to the field of Reformation studies.

The thirty-one essays comprising La Réforme en France et en Italie are thematically organised into eight sections and preceded by a thorough introduction in which the three editors present arguments and justifications for their chosen comparative approach. In an attempt to avoid excessive concentration on theory and methodology at the expense of substantial empirical work, they asked Euan Cameron to review the historiography of the subject, and then explore areas where comparisons are especially fruitful, a task admirably accomplished.

The first section looks at the diffusion of Evangelical and Protestant ideas. Andrew Pettegree and Susanna Peyronel Rambaldi look at the role of printed books and pamphlets in disseminating heterodox ideas, while Jean-François Gilmont investigates other techniques (placards, music, theatre) and proposes a scheme for the development of Protestant propaganda in the two countries.

The second section focuses on the networks of dissent. Federica Ambrosini depicts a striking prosopography of the Italian religious dissent that spread widely even in the remote areas of Calabria and Sicily, indicating that its theological orientation was far more diverse than is generally assumed. On the French side, Jonathan Reid advances the hypothesis that the key catalyst in the formation of French Evangelical networks was the ministry of Evangelical clerics operating within the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, no attempt is made to seek to explain historical differences or peculiarities, weighing and eventually isolating variables responsible for the respective particular conditions.

The third section provides insights into the innovations within the Catholic Church of France and Italy and their limits, with contributions from Mark Greengrass, Nicole Lemaitre, Massimo Firpo and Simon Ditchfield. The latter two essays in particular show that Jedin's thesis of Catholic Reform and Counter Reformation is still quite controversial. This section also signals cases of contacts, exchanges and cross-influences between the two countries. Stefano Dall' Aglio discusses the reception of Savonarola in France. Bernard Aikema provides an overview of the present debate on the relationship between art and Reformation. Chiara Franceschini surveys the ways in which images of purgatory and expectations of eschatological events were employed in religious debates. Giorgio Caravale details further aspects of Francesco Pucci's relationships with France.

The collection's fourth section studies the response of political elites to the spread of evangelical ideas. Pierroberto Scaramella proffers an analysis of the elites within southern Italy, John Martin of those within northern Italy and Hugues Daussy of those in the kingdom of France. Eleonora Belligni details the efforts of René de France in support of Italian Calvinism. Alain Tallon shows how the parti français sided opportunistically with Italian Catholic Church leaders in the suppression of religious dissent. The section is rounded off with Philip Benedict's considerations of the diversity of the French and Italian historiographies.

Scholars interested in the history of ideas will appreciate section five on the symbolism of religious changes. Denis Crouzet covers a wide range of examples sharply attributed to two different chronological periods. Olivier Christin offers a broad definition of the genre ranging from hymn-singing in the vernacular to disturbance of public worship and iconoclasm. By contrast, the symbolism of religious change in Italy is characterised, as Silvana Seidel Menchi notes, by the open confession of the Gospel, the acceptance of persecution and martyrdom and the flight from what the sources call ‘popery’.

Insights into the organisation of the repression of Protestant heresy can be found in the sixth section with essays by William Monter on France and Andrea Del Col on Italy. The closing comparative examination of the subject, by Elena Brambilla, leaves us for the moment with more questions than certitudes as to the efficacy of the two different systems of repression.

Refugee churches and exile centres are the subject of section seven. Simonetta Adorni Braccesi provides an overview of the Italian and Philip Benedict of the French refuge. Robert Kingdon examines the ways in which discipline was adopted by both French and Italian Protestants. Mario Turchetti approaches the issue of Calvin's opinion of the ‘Italians’.

Ecclesiology serves as the focus of the final section. Marc Venard provides a broad overview of the basic differences between the Roman Catholic and Protestant ecclesiologies without losing sight of the Erasmian vision of what the Church should be. Adriano Prosperi's contribution includes reconsideration of the still controversial question of the relationship between early Catholic impulses for reform and Luther's Reformation, of the contacts of the Italian dissidents with their French counterparts, and of the heterogenesis of the two movements.

As is often the case in lengthy collections, the essays are of varying quality. Many are based on careful examination of sources, some inevitably revisit territory already surveyed and a few exhibit the author's particular bias. Nearly every one provides important scholarship and represents an exemplary cross-section of current research. To be sure, by no means can the volume claim to be a comprehensive treatment of the French and the Italian Reformation. For example, a regrettable gap in the topics covered is the theological strains. Relating theology to ecclesiology, Church-State relations and the arts, would have enriched the collection significantly. However, the fields to be covered were so vast, and the need of a representative assortment so exacting, that hard decisions presumably had to be made in order to keep the collection at a reasonable length. All in all, La Réforme en France et en Italie shows that the comparative approach is rich and important. This hefty volume is an impressive contribution that will promote both wider and deeper research.