Paradise of Cities: Venice in the Nineteenth Century - Softcover

"Engaging. . . . Lively. . . . Norwich is an enchanting and satisfying raconteur." -The Washington Post

"A richly textured, colorfully told saga. . . . Beautifully illustrated, Paradise of Cities contains much that will instruct, divert and delight." -Los Angeles Times

"Personable. . . . Hovers delightfully between history and gossip. . . . Even non-Venetians will feel a tug of nostalgia for the world he describes." -Newsday

"Lively. . . . Norwich . . . is certainly the English language's most passionate and dedicated chronicler of [Venice's] extraordinary history. . . . Paradise of Cities offers delicious new insights [and] open[s] a door to one of the world's most memorable cities." -The Seattle Times

"Suavely presented. . . . Appealing. . . . Full of relishable moments. . . . Paradise of Cities shows a sharp eye for the curious and entertaining. . . . It lights up many facets of expatriate life in the world's most inexhaustibly alluring city." -The Sunday Times (London)

"Illuminating. . . . Norwich is a historian of uncommon urbanity: scholarly and erudite but never pedantic. His style is as graceful and easy as it is knowledgeable." -Los Angeles Times

"Stylish, resonant, indelible . . . an ode to a very splendid and unique city." -Booklist (starred and boxed review)

"Supremely readable and often witty." -The Guardian

"First-rate. . . . Lovely. . . . Engaging. . . . Informed by first rate scholarship and leavened with deep affection. . . . The subject is wonderfully rich, the chronicler gifted and knowledgeable." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Engaging. . . . Makes intelligent sense out of how Venice evolved from the pleasure capital of 17th- and 18th-century Europe . . . into a 21st-century aesthetic temple." -Financial Times

The author of A History of Venice traces the period during which the city rose from a proud independent state to a cultural mecca, as told from the perspectives of such figures as Napoleon, Lord Byron, Henry James, and Robert Browning. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.