Venice

Breezy, cheerful, evenhanded, Madden debunks myths about Venetian decadence, and brushes aside ugly whispers about greedy, unscrupulous merchants. When a colorful character pops up (Marco Polo, Casanova), he makes the most of it in his brisk, no-nonsense prose. <br> --New York Times <br> Madden paints a vivid portrait of a city without land, an empire without borders. His engaging work enters a sparse historiography that includes Roger Crowley's City of Fortune (2012) and John Julius Norwich's enduring A History of Venice (1982) and separates itself by offering a readable overview backed by solid research. Readers will come away from Madden's Venice with newfound respect for one of the great jewels of Western civilization. <br> --Booklist (starred review) <br> Plenty of books focus on Venice the romantic ruin. This one offers a welcome reminder of its historic role over a millennium in the development of a modern economic system and the maintenance of the global balance of power. --Kirkus <br> A lively and lucid survey of Venice's colorful history. --The Seattle Times <br> A savory, tantalizing, but not-so-serene history of La Serenessima --Publishers Weekly <br> Madden proves the perfect guide to the magical city of Venice. His history is not only authoritative and encyclopedic, encompassing everything from the plundering of Attila the Hun to Katharine Hepburn's tribulations while filming Summertime, it is also unfailingly readable and amusing--a must-read for Europhiles, armchair travelers, and history buffs. <br> --Ross King, author of Brunelleschi's Dome and Leonardo and T he Last Supper <br> Thomas Madden's portrait of Venice glows like one of the city's own rich and colorful artworks--a tapestry woven from a thousand tales, with unforgettable characters, daring exploits, and inspiring triumphs against overwhelming odds. It's all here: free enterprise and free thought, voyages and empire-building between East and Wes