Rudolph M. Bell (Ph.D. City University of New York) is a professor of European, Italian and Renaissance History at Rutgers University. His research focuses on Italian civilization and culture from the Middle Ages to the present. His books include The Voices of Gemma Galgani: The Life and Afterlife of a Modern Saint; How to Do It: Guides to Good Living for Renaissance Italians; and Holy Anorexia. He has also co-edited with Virginia Yans, Women on Their Own: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Being Single.