Venice 697-1797: A City, a Republic, an Empire

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and informative book of Venice
Review: There are many books available on the history of Venice, but there is probably no book as beautifully illustrated as this one. It contains many beautiful prints of paintings, sculptures, etc. as well as excellent photographs of the city. The book also provides a very good general overview of the history of Venice. The author is somewhat biased, by his own admission, about the "glory" of Venice and its history, and, thus, some degree of objectivity may have been lost in the telling of the history. Nevertheless, for anyone who is interested in Venice and its history, this book will provide many rewards.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and informative book of Venice
Review: There are many books available on the history of Venice, but there is probably no book as beautifully illustrated as this one. It contains many beautiful prints of paintings, sculptures, etc. as well as excellent photographs of the city. The book also provides a very good general overview of the history of Venice. The author is somewhat biased, by his own admission, about the "glory" of Venice and its history, and, thus, some degree of objectivity may have been lost in the telling of the history. Nevertheless, for anyone who is interested in Venice and its history, this book will provide many rewards.

Rating:
Summary: Serenissima: Venice from an Insider's Vantage
Review: VENICE 697 - 1797: A City, A Republic, An Empire is as satisfying an overview of the supreme city of Venice, Italy as is available. Other books may be more academically researched, written and presented and other books on the various aspects of this ageless city - its art, architecture, Carnivale expositions, idiosyncratic glass, music - are definitely more complete. But the primary reason for the success of this book is in the writing by Alvise Zorzi, a resident of Venice who treats us to a personal tour of what makes Venice so magical. Richly illustrated, wisely paced with interesting sidebars during the history portions, Zorzi relates the treasures of Venice with an endearing love that makes both known and new facts a joy to visit. At the end of this book he has created glossaries of terms, of the lineage of Doges, a fine chronology, and (with a tender bit of pride) a list of the Venetian Patriciate that of course lists existing families of noble birth as of 1999! Quite frankly Zorzi has the gift to crystallize the stages in Venice's development as a capital of Europe more meaningfully than other writers' compendia. We can only hope that he elects to present us with "Venice 1797 to 2004" and help us understand this enigmatic, slowly sinking jewel that has attracted lovers, poets, painters, musicians and writers for centuries from his present day stance. A beautiful book for any collection!