Splendor of Malta (Hardcover)

~ Marquis Cassar De Sain (Author), (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Malta. Whispered in dimly lit stone corridors, faintly echoing; said simply; or read, silently: the word suggests volumes. Tales of valor come to mind. And tales of war. Tales of victory, treachery, intrigue, defeat, mystery. Knights in armor man stalwart ramparts that rise up from the roiling sea, as armies crash upon the shore. Fiery corsairs and great admirals pass through its deep harbors. Duels are fought. Outrages committed, glories achieved. If we listen closely, we hear the names of princes commingled with that of Malta; and the names of kings; popes; emperors; and grand masters of the valiant Order of the Knights of St. John. Suleiman the Magnificent and his general Mustapha Pasha are forever held at bay, though their arms be mighty and their will ferocious. Centuries pass. Napoleon steps upon its rocky ground, is bowed to....

At once firmly lodged in the events of history and in the present lives of its people, Malta encompasses yet a greater sphere: it lives within our imaginations, within our minds-- if hidden just beneath the surface, beneath a mottled and dull layer of tarnish, waiting for the polish of our author's hand. This volume, written by Shirley Jackewicz Johnston and illustrated with lavish full color photography by the late Marquess Anthony Cassar de Sain, is an excursion into this sphere. With a soft yet powerful cloth of deliberate and painstaking research, Johnston reveals the glowing embroilment of bishops and grand masters-- one vies to build a fabulous palace reaching towards the heavens, as another seeks to prevent it, an obstruction to his view and an implied infringement on his authority. Indeed, from a consideration of its architecture, of what was built and of what was not built, much of the collective spirit, will, imagination, and history of Malta can be gleaned. We should note, however: "This is not a history book," as the author tells us, "but history is firmly rooted in just about everything in Malta, including its remarkable architecture."

Here, Shirley Jackewicz Johnston takes us into this extraordinary architecture and into the equally extraordinary lives of those who brought it into being-- the Knights of the Order of St. John. Here we are given an intimate glimpse of the Grandmaster's Palace-- a sumptuous residence by any standard, housing one of the world's greatest armories and a collection of priceless works of art; we are taken through Fort St. Angelo, once a critical bastion against the Ottoman onslaught; into the Bishop's Palace, with its lush orange groves, planted, by Bishop Cagliares himself, back in 1622; and we are shown grandeur and beauty, in St. John's Church-- designed by Gerolamo Cassar. In fact, much that we are shown might be called grand and beautiful, but such words can hardly, fully, express what is on offer to our eyes. Indeed, between these covers, we find...the Splendor of Malta.

About the Author

Shirley Jackewicz Johnston is the author of Rizzoli's Palm Beach Houses and Great Villas of the Riviera.

Marquess Anthony Cassar de Sain, the book's photographer, regretfully passed away soon after the conclusion of his contribution to this work. He was a Knight of Honor and Devotion in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (July 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847822869
• ISBN-13: 978-0847822867
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 11.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #311,790 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good - but not what I thought, January 9, 2007

By	Klutchy (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

I bought the Splendor of Malta thinking it was going to have lots of photos of the country and buildings from the outside etc. It's absolutely packed full of pictures of insides of different buildings and has tons of history and information. It's a very good book, just not what I thought I was getting.