In the early 1850s, John Ruskin published The Stones of Venice, a history of Venetian architecture. He asserted the moral and aesthetic superiority of Venice's medieval buildings over structures from the Renaissance period. Ruskin's engaging and beautifully crafted prose inspired his Anglo-American readers to travel to Venice, to construct Gothic Revival buildings in their own cities, and to critically examine the moral virtues of modern society and how those principles are reflected in modern architecture.
Since 1904, only abridged editions of The Stones of Venice have been published
all of which sacrifice Ruskin's didacticism in favour of the aestheticism of a few select passages. As the first unabridged edition in over a century, this book restores the context for those selections. It retains Ruskin's tripartite history of Venice and includes material omitted from abridged versions, including Ruskin's supplementary folio. It features reproductions of many of Ruskin's original sketches, which in previous editions appeared only as engraved copies. This edition includes his list of Venice's most important buildings, with endnotes updating their contemporary status, as well as an appendix with selections from other Venetian-themed texts by Ruskin. Introducing new readers to an important literary figure, this book also features an introductory essay that situates The Stones of Venice within John Ruskin's life and writings.
By:
John Ruskin
Edited by:
William McKeown
Imprint: University of Toronto Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions:
Height: 256mm,
Width: 191mm,
Spine: 53mm
Weight: 1.960kg
ISBN: 9781487547196
ISBN 10: 1487547196
Series: Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library
Pages: 920
Publication Date: 17 July 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Acknowledgments Editor’s Introduction Notations on This Edition A Bibliographical History of The Stones of Venice Author’s Prefaces First Edition (1851) Third Edition (1874) Travellers’ Edition (1879) Volume I: The Foundations List of Illustrations 1. The Quarry 2. The Virtues of Architecture 3. The Six Divisions of Architecture 4. The Wall Base 5. The Wall Veil 6. The Wall Cornice 7. The Pier Base 8. The Shaft 9. The Capital 10. The Arch Line 11. The Arch Masonry 12. The Arch Load 13. The Roof 14. The Roof Cornice 15. The Buttress 16. Form of Aperture 17. Filling of Aperture 18. Protection of Aperture 19. Superimposition 20. The Material of Ornament 21. Treatment of Ornament 22. The Angle 23. The Edge and Fillet 24. The Roll and Recess 25. The Base 26. The Wall Veil and Shaft 27. The Cornice and Capital 28. The Archivolt and Aperture 29. The Roof 30. The Vestibule Author’s Appendix to Volume I 1. Foundation of Venice 2. Power of the Doges 3. Serrar Del Consiglio 4. S. Pietro Di Castello 5. Papal Power in Venice 6. Renaissance Ornaments 7. Varieties of the Orders 8. The Northern Energy 9. Wooden Churches of the North 10. Church of Alexandria 11. Renaissance Landscape 12. Romanist Modern Art 13. Mr. Fergusson’s System 14. Divisions of Humanity 15. Instinctive Judgments 16. Strength of Shafts 17. Answer to Mr. Garbett 18. Early English Capitals 19. Tombs at St. Anastasia 20. Shafts of the Ducal Palace 21. Ancient Representations of Water 22. Arabian Ornamentation 23. Varieties of Chamfer 24. Renaissance Bases 25. Romanist Decoration of Bases Volume II: The Sea-Stories List of Illustrations First, or Byzantine Period 1. The Throne 2. Torcello 3. Murano 4. St. Mark’s 5. Byzantine Palaces Second, or Gothic Period 6. The Nature of Gothic 7. Gothic Palaces 8. The Ducal Palace Author’s Appendix to Volume II 1. The Gondolier’s Cry 2. Our Lady of Salvation 3. Tides of Venice, and Measures at Torcello 4. Date of the Duomo of Torcello 5. Modern Pulpits 6. Apse of Murano 7. Early Venetian Dress Volume III: The Fall List of Illustrations Third, or Renaissance Period 1. Early Renaissance 2. Roman Renaissance 3. Grotesque Renaissance 4. Conclusion Epilogue: Castel-Franco Author’s Appendix to Volume III 1. Architect of the Ducal Palace 2. Theology of Spenser 3. Austrian Government in Italy 4. Date of the Palaces of the Byzantine Renaissance 5. Renaissance Side of Ducal Palace 6. Character of the Doge Michele Morosin 7. Modern Education 8. Early Venetian Marriages 9. Character of the Venetian Aristocracy 10. Final Appendix Examples of the Architecture of Venice, Selected and Drawn to Measurement from the Edifices, Illustrative of The Stones of Venice List of Illustrations Author’s Preface to the First Edition (1851) Descriptions of the Plates Venetian Index Explanatory Note Introduction Venetian Index Editor’s Appendix I. Selections from Samuel Rogers, Italy: a Poem (1830) 14. “Venice” 16. “St. Mark’s Place” 18. “The Brides of Venice” II. Ruskin’s Early Literary Responses to Venice “Venice” [c. 1835] “Marcolini” [1836]: A Dramatic Fragment III. Letters Written from Venice by Ruskin to his Father (1845). IV. Selections from St. Mark’s Rest (1877-1884) “Preface” “St. James of the Deep Stream” “The Requiem” Notes Further Reading General Index
John Ruskin (1819–1900) was an English writer, philosopher, and art critic. William C. McKeown is an associate professor of art history at the University of Memphis.
Reviews for The Stones of Venice
""Ours is an era whose simulation, spectacle, and artificial intelligence challenge our notions of selfhood and society, making John Ruskin's message on the ethics and aesthetics of building city and community ever more prescient. In The Stones of Venice, Ruskin employs the builder's trowel as much as his captivating pen - readers must take his work whole. He guides us evocatively through Venice, but also apprentices us to erect the city stone by stone. With a perceptive introduction by William C. McKeown, this book truly gives us The Stones of Venice complete - both in its romance and in its ardent antiquarianism.""--Stephen Kite, Emeritus Professor, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University ""The Stones of Venice was a milestone not only for Ruskin - his most important book after Modern Painters - but also in nineteenth-century cultural history, encompassing art, architectural, and social history. Charlotte Brontë thought the Stones 'nobly laid and chiselled' with 'the character, the marked individuality, which pervades every page.' An unabridged edition of any of Ruskin's major publications is a rare event, in this case enhanced by the knowledgeable and sensitive editing of William C. McKeown, who adds many informative notes as well as an insightful introduction.""--Stephen Wildman, Former Director, Ruskin Library and Research Centre, Lancaster University
