The Architectural History of Venice (Revised and enlarged edition) Paperback – 25 Feb. 2004

The book was delivered promptly and in excellent order. A lovely book and very useful for my husbands MA course and for me to enjoy.

A fantastic, easy to read guide to Venetian architecture. Almost reads like a novel.

this is a really first rate book for either the specialist or general reader. New pictures bring the different buildings to life and the writer's very clear style gets across valuable information.

The book is absolutely wonderful if you are interested in architecture and art history of Venice. The package arrived in estimated time only thing I didn't like is the packaging. I am very sensitive about my books and the book arrived in sort of carton envelope which made cat ears on my book on one corner on the back. Its ok, I will fix it and work with it but I expect my book to arrive as if I just took it from a shelf in a book store. That calls for a better packaging solution. Other than that, I am satisfied :)

As books of this type go, some are not easy reading or as informative as they should be. This book however gives a reasonablely detailed history of the architecture of Venice. Worth a look.

This is an excellent book for anyone like myself who loves Venice and would like to better understand how its architecture achieved its glory over the centuries. If your curiosity is piqued by the terse comments of the guidebooks on the physical appearance of the great churches and palazzos this volume will provide satisfaction. It is not, however, light enough to be easily carried on a day of sightseeing. This is a substantial volume with serious scholarly intent though directed at the average reader not the professional architectural historian. Better to consult it while sitting on a bench in one of the glorious campos or while sipping an aperitif at a canalside cafe. Beautifully illustrated.

Absolutely necessary to walk around in Venice, enjoying, at the present days, all its glorious past. And the book allows you that: by reading, you rediscover Venice from the point of view of its artists, whose works are still there, waiting for you visit.

A great overview of Venetian architecture . Readable, with good illustrations.

Deborah Howard's account of this unique city, it's origin and development over the years is is a fascinating document. Together with the excellent photogaphs in full colour by Sarah Quill and Deborah Howard this book is inavaluable to anyone who has visited Venice. This book may be classed as a history book to compliment a persons interests in what may be missing from regular guide books. It is not a boring book about constructural practices per say but more about the ingenious ways in which the early settlers escaped from tyranical oppression and created their primitive home in a lagoon that has become the most beautiful collection of architecture anywhere today. Having visited Venice several times I wanted to find out more about this great place. To say that necessity is the mother of invention is living proof which led to the construction of the city of Venice. If you love Venice you will love this book. David Dickinson Alberts, Canada

I'm a veteran of many books on the history of western architecture. (Books for amateurs - I'm not an expert!) This book provides the most pleasant reading experience of any that I have seen: it is well-organized, has the right balance of historical background to architectural information, it presents the evolution of styles, not just a series of examples, and is pitched at the right level of knowledge for an informed amateur. In addition the photographs are mostly excellent, and are printed in color and on sufficient scale to see many architectural components. And finally (perhaps most relevant to the experience) the author has a notably mellifluous writing style, so it's pleasant just to "hear" the prose. (The latter is all too rare amongst architecture and history professionals.) But this book shares two big problems that occur in most architecture books for non-experts:1. It does not define some of the less-obvious terms in the discussion. For example, what on earth are "pendant capitals"? (Referenced on pages 109 and 114.) The provided glossary is way too brief, and I couldn't identify them in any of the photos.2. It sometimes talks about details that are not illustrated, or cannot be distinguished in the illustrations. Such discussions might be interesting to experts who can imagine them, but I usually find them completely unintelligible.