The Architectural History Of Venice (revised And Enlarged Edition)

The Architectural History of Venice (revised and enlarged edition)

This book is the indispensable guide to the history of architecture in Venice, encompassing the city's fascinating variety of buildings from ancient times to the present day. Completely updated, this edition of Deborah Howard's classic volume, first published in 1980, is filled with splendid new illustrations. Howard writes in a highly accessible style, inviting those who visit Venice in person, armchair travelers, and all students of Venetian art and architecture to look more closely at the unique architecture of one of the world's most beautiful cities.Believed to have been founded by refugees at the fall of the Roman Empire, Venice became a semi-independent outpost of Byzantium and eventually an independent republic. The city flourished for centuries as a trading center between east and west, and its visual traditions were continually enriched by the exposure to outside influences. When the long-lasting republic fell to Napoleon in 1797, many attempts at modernization followed. Howard traces the entire evolution of Venice's architecture, placing special emphasis on the political, social, and economic framework that supported it. She highlights the achievements of such individual architects as Sansovino, Palladio, Longhena, Massari, and Selva. Throughout the book, the author stresses the visual qualities of the buildings themselves, enhancing our appreciation of individual structures built in Venice and providing a spectacular view of the city that inspired their creation.From Library JournalWhen published in 1981, Cambridge professor Howard's survey of Venetian architecture was hailed as the only authoritative study of its scope in English. This new edition contains the same text with minor revisions, many of which reflect research Howard published in her Venice and the East. Reduced in size for convenient transport in a tourist's backpack or purse, the new edition boasts crisp new color photos, extensively updated footnotes, and an expanded bibliography. The concise, fact-filled narrative chronicles the evolution of Venice's major building types-churches, palaces, and guildhalls-from the Byzantine era to the present. Just as scholarly and comprehensive, but written in a voice that more poetically evokes the Most Serene Republic's timeless allure, is Richard Goy's Venice: The City and Its Architecture. Goy takes a nonlinear approach, devoting each chapter to a broad theme or a single building type. Collections specializing in architecture will need Howard's revised edition; other libraries owning the earlier edition can guiltlessly skip the revision. Both Howard and Goy are highly recommended for large public and academic libraries. To ensure complete coverage, academic libraries should also consider Ennio Concina's A History of Venetian Architecture.David Soltsz, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OHCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.About the AuthorDeborah Howard is professor of architectural history at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge.