Did the Greek gods play tennis? What is the ambassador from the land of Alchemy telling us? What secrets are being told on the shores of the Island of Venus? What is a monk doing on the Ship of Fools? What Great Paintings Say has the answers to these and many other burning questions asked about the most important and famous paintings of all time. In two volumes, a selection of history`s greatest masterpieces is presented chronologically, including works by Botticelli, Breughel, Chagall, Courbet, Degas, Delacroix, Dürer, Goya, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Tiepolo, Titian, and many others. Each chapter focuses on one painting, with enlarged details and in-depth texts describing their significance. Taking apart each painting and then reassembling it again like a huge jigsaw puzzle, the authors reveal the history of art as a lively panorama of forgotten worlds.

本书直面重商主义研究中最根本，但也是争议最大的课题，即国家与市场的关系课题。作者在充分吸收前人研究成果的基础上，通过对史实的具体分析指出，在重商主义时代，英国国家和市场经济的关系并非一成不变，事实上，它经历了一个递次演进的过程。作者将该过程划分为三个阶段，并通过比较分析揭示出：国家的职能随着市场经济的发展不断调整，由对市场经济的全面控制逐步过渡到取消管制，最终实现了国家与市场经济的共生共荣。全书观点鲜明，言之成理，富有创新性。