---
product_id: 8183269
title: "Venice: A New History"
brand: "thomas f. madden"
price: "€ 41.11"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.fi/products/8183269-venice-a-new-history
store_origin: FI
region: Finland
---

# Venice: A New History

**Brand:** thomas f. madden
**Price:** € 41.11
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Venice: A New History by thomas f. madden
- **How much does it cost?** € 41.11 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
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## Description

Venice: A New History

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![Venice: A New History - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51QJUPR+W-L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A Good History
  

*by G***Y on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 22, 2014*

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.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A lovely ode to a beautiful city
  

*by D***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 5, 2016*

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.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A bit too much detail.
  

*by M***R on Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 18, 2021*

I’m only a couple of chapters into the book so reviewing it may be a bit premature. However, here goes. So far I find it very easy to read and very informative. I particularly appreciated how the picture of the gradual colonisation of the lagoon islands was built up as it’s difficult to imagine for yourself how such a developed city state could arise in a swamp.However, I have to say that for a general reader the amount of detail is unnecessary and quickly gets rather bewildering. A list of characters at the end of the book with a basic description of their role in Venice’s history would be very helpful.

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*Product available on Desertcart Finland*
*Store origin: FI*
*Last updated: 2026-03-11*