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Venice: A New History Paperback – October 29, 2013

by Thomas F. Madden (Author)

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A spellbinding new portrait of one of the world’s most beloved cities, from the author of Istanbul

La Serenissima. Its breathtaking architecture, art, and opera ensure that Venice remains a perennially popular destination for tourists and armchair travelers alike. Yet most of the available books about this magical city are either facile travel guides or fusty academic tomes. In Venice, renowned historian Thomas F. Madden draws on new research to explore the city’s many astonishing achievements and to set 1,500 years of Venetian history and the endless Venetian-led Crusades in the context of the ever-shifting Eurasian world. Filled with compelling insights and famous figures, Venice is a monumental work of popular history that’s as opulent and entertaining as the great city itself.

Print length

480 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

October 29, 2013
Dimensions

8.35 x 5.47 x 1.13 inches
ISBN-10

0147509807
ISBN-13

978-0147509802
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"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."—New York Times

“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.”—Booklist (starred review)

“A lively and lucid survey of Venice's colorful history.”—The Seattle Times

“A savory, tantalizing, but not-so-serene history of La Serenessima.”—Publishers Weekly

“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.”—Ross King, author of Brunelleschi’s Dome and Leonardo and The Last Supper

“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 West, and some of the world’s most magnificent achievements in architecture, painting, and music. All the threads of Venetian history are traced with a scholar’s zeal for accuracy. But Madden is also a born storyteller, with a keen eye for the illuminating detail that can bring a scene to life, from Roman refugees fleeing Attila the Hun to modern tourists invading the Rialto. For those who think they know Venice, Madden’s book will be a revelation. For newcomers, this comprehensive overview is essential reading.”—John R. Hale, author of Lords of the Sea

“Madden is that rare talent—a serious scholar who tells a gripping story. He breathes life into Venetian history in all its subtle complexity, rescuing the Venetians from the common stereotype of one-dimensional merchants. This book is a fantastic read.”—Lars Brownworth, author of Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization

About the Author

Thomas F. Madden is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. He has written and lectured extensively on the ancient and medieval Mediterranean as well as the history of Christianity and Islam. Awards for his scholarship include the Medieval Academy of America's Haskins Medal and the Medieval Institute's Otto Grundler Prize. He is a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Medieval Academy of America. His books include Venice: A New History and Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 29, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0147509807
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0147509802
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.35 x 5.47 x 1.13 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #88,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11 in Venice Travel Guides
- #24 in Turkey History (Books)
- #52 in Italian History (Books)

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Thomas F. Madden

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Thomas F. Madden is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. As an author and historical consultant he has appeared in such venues as The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and The History Channel.

Awards for his scholarship include the Haskins Medal, awarded by the Medieval Academy of America, and the Otto Grundler Prize, awarded by the Medieval Institute. He is a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

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Su ZQ

You don’t have to be a history buff to love this book.

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024

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Thomas F. Madden is a wonderful writer. History comes alive in this entertaining book. I ordered one for my son, who is a history buff.

One person found this helpful

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Greg Polansky

A Good History

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2014

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Given that the last major history of Venice in the English language was published in 1982 (John Julius Norwich's most excellent 'A History of Venice'), Madden's goal in his book is to use recent scholarship to create a new history of Venice. And while I am not always of the opinion that new is better, I do think Madden succeeds in writing a history of Venice that does feel fresh and that also addresses some of the more pernicious myths of Venetian history. I just wished he had stopped with the Congress of Vienna.

Madden's style is accessible. He wanted to write a history meant for the popular audience. This is why there are no footnotes and, quite sadly, no true bibliography; though there is a further reading list. Regarding footnotes - John Julius Norwich also wrote a popular history of Venice. With footnotes. Footnotes that were sublime. This gets back to the idea that new is not always better. Madden also succeeds in situating Venice within the history of the times, though too often one of his claims about how representative government in Venice was and how different it was ignores histories of other areas. This myopia of his is most likely self-induced because he wants to defend his thesis that Venetian government was unique.

Beginning with the turmoil affecting the 5th century Roman Empire, the history of Venice is an intriguing one. Beset by enemies on all sides, the people of the area fled to the lagoon for protection from invading armies and the crumbling empire's chaos and instability. But because they considered themselves Romans, the Venetians looked on the surviving half of the Empire - what became known as the Byzantine Empire - rather than on other cities and areas in what we now call Western Europe. This focus on the Byzantine Empire, combined with Venice's unique geography that meant the Venetians needed to focus on trade to meet their needs, would affect the course of Venice's evolution over the next millennium.

Madden does an excellent job of detailing this evolution, although his treatment of art and architecture could be better. In particular his explanation of the details behind the Fourth Crusade (one of the most significant cultural low points of human history)and his treatment of Venice's decline because it failed to take advantage of the changed landscape of the 15th and 16th centuries is excellent. Poor Venice. Constantinople had fallen. And the Portuguese had found a way to the riches of the East that left no room for Venice as the middleman. Trade, which had once sustained the Venetian Empire, began to ebb. And Ottoman conquests in the Eastern Mediterranean saw Venice's empire shrink to nothing.

The events after Napoleon could have been summarized in one chapter given how this is the low point of Venetian history and how Madden's book is not able to give the centuries as much detail as he should. Still, this is a good history of Venice and should not be missed on the reader's Grand Tour of Venetian histories.

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doc peterson

A lovely ode to a beautiful city

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2016

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I really wish I had read this book before visiting Venice. That said, Madden provides a fascinating and detailed biography of Venice, his emphasis on its unique place in European history as a republic and as a center of commerce and capitalism hundreds of years before the rest of the Continent adapted these ideas. The unique relationship of Venice with Constantinople and its place as a major medieval commercial center are the primary foci of the book. It is at once entertaining, informative and insightful.

This high praise aside, there are two issues I took with Madden's writing. The first is the almost unapologetically Venetian view he takes on Venice's role and place in Mediterranean politics. I cannot imagine a historian of Genoa (Venice's Italian maritime rival to the west) having the same attitude and coming to the same conclusions about Venice's role as Madden does. Similarly, Madden's treatment of the Fourth Crusade, if not a white-wash of Venice's role in the sacking of Constantinople, than something close to it, was a bit much for my tastes. Admittedly the Byzantine Emperors were often some shady characters, but as Madden writes it, the Venetians were wholly unsoiled of any wrongdoing. The second issue I have is with its lack of detail since the Napoleonic age.

Some allowance can be made on this point, as Madden's area of expertise is the Middle Ages and Early Modern period; still, given the depth and fascinating details of the birth and growth of the Venetian republic, I had anticipated the same of his coverage of Venice in the 19th century: its relationship to the Habsburgs, the unification of Italy, the "Italia Irredenta" of the early 20th century. Instead there is an almost maudlin tone as Madden seems to grieve the decay and collapse of the once-great city, only to be imagined (and reborn) as a tourist haven and "Disneyland for adults."

In the final analysis, though, I loved the book. The history is terribly interesting, and the minute details of the city, its architecture and art are information I wish I had before I visited. Alas, it seems I will have to return to that magical place now armed with an eye for the history hidden in plain sight. A highly recommended read.

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M Clark

Successful because it is a Goldilocks book: not too many details and not too few details

Reviewed in Germany on July 1, 2023

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Thomas Madden’s Venice: A New History is an ideal history of this unique city providing a solid framework of the city’s history in a very readable format. The author’s love for the city is infectious and the reader is left with a new appreciation of this ancient city. Parts of the book I valued the most include:
• The early Venetians were driven to settle on the islands and sandbars of the lagoon as a way to escape the attackers that swept through Europe during the 9th century.
• The Venetians exploited the characteristics of the lagoon (e.g. shallow waters with narrow channels) to successfully defend their city against attackers for many centuries.
• Venice needed to balance its relationships with Constantinople and with Rome. Although it was located in Italy, it showed a greater affiliation to Constantinople for much of its history.
• Venice was an entrepreneurial city devoted exclusively to trade. Because it had no agricultural basis for much of its history, it never developed the landed nobility class like the rest of Europe. Considerable complications ensued when Venice began to extend itself onto the mainland including conflicts with other Italian cities.
• Venice had extensive trading relations with the Ottoman empire. The author provides a fascinating analysis of the delicate dance needed to maintain these relations despite support for crusaders.
• Venice was a Republic for most of its history in contrast to the monarchies throughout Europe at the time. Because many writers have painted a different and darker picture of the city’s government, the author spends a considerable amount of time explaining how the city’s government really worked.
• Napoleon claimed to have liberated Venice during his Italian campaigns but most Venetians felt that they had considerably less freedom after he appeared.
• Finally, the author provides a good overview of the environmental challenges facing the city as well as their challenges in dealing with floods of tourists.
The book also provides a nice review of European and Mediterranean history from the perspective of Venice. The book also provides a concise story of Venice’s influence on art and music.
What makes this book so successful is that it is a Goldilocks book: not too many details and not too few details. As a result, it is easy to follow the thread of the city’s history. The reader is left with both a true understanding of the history and with a hunger to learn more.

Bill

History at its finest

Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2019

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A good read not only for history but our link to culture.

Laura C.

A must read for anyone with a love and curiosity about why Venice is so unique

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2018

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Readable and informative - covering the development of Venice from its beginnings to the present day.

3 people found this helpful

vmg

Meilleur livre sur l'histoire de Venise

Reviewed in France on November 13, 2018

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Le livre est fascinant! Tellement bien écrit, intéressant, informatif.....on comprend vraiment d'où vient Venise et les vénitiens mais écrit dans un façon qui est captivant.

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Tony Barcellona

Great Book, worth getting a hold of

Reviewed in Australia on February 8, 2020

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Well researched and interesting reading, Venice is unique and one needs to truly appreciate the beauty of this magical City

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