The Guide is a teaching instrument that meets the new training requirements of the university reform and constitutes a vital methodological supplement to the three-year degree course manual. Its subdivision into modules and clear structure permit the text to be used at various levels: in fact, the volume unites great clarity of presentation with a high scientific level. Despite the shorter introduction and limits of space (shortened precisely in order to facilitate ease of use), the author has achieved a point of equilibrium between the classically accepted historiographic results and a reasonable openness to the most recent themes and trends.