Venice From The Ground Up

Author : James H. S. McGregor
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674040848
Total Pages : 378 pages
Book Rating : 4.47/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Venice from the Ground Up written by James H. S. McGregor and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2008-04-30 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Venice came to life on spongy mudflats at the edge of the habitable world. Protected in a tidal estuary from barbarian invaders and Byzantine overlords, the fishermen, salt gatherers, and traders who settled there crafted an amphibious way of life unlike anything the Roman Empire had ever known. In an astonishing feat of narrative history, James H. S. McGregor recreates this world-turned-upside-down, with its waterways rather than roads, its boats tethered alongside dwellings, and its livelihood harvested from the sea. McGregor begins with the river currents that poured into the shallow Lagoon, carving channels in its bed and depositing islands of silt. He then describes the imaginative responses of Venetians to the demands and opportunities of this harsh environment—transforming the channels into canals, reclaiming salt marshes for the construction of massive churches, erecting a thriving marketplace and stately palaces along the Grand Canal. Through McGregor’s eyes, we witness the flowering of Venice’s restless creativity in the elaborate mosaics of St. Mark’s soaring basilica, the expressive paintings in smaller neighborhood churches, and the colorful religious festivals—but also in theatrical productions, gambling casinos, and masked revelry, which reveal the city’s less pious and orderly face. McGregor tells his unique history of Venice by drawing on a crumbling, tide-threatened cityscape and a treasure-trove of art that can still be seen in place today. The narrative follows both a chronological and geographical organization, so that readers can trace the city’s evolution chapter by chapter and visitors can explore it district by district on foot and by boat.

Author : James H. S. McGregor
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674266013
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.18/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Venice from the Ground Up written by James H. S. McGregor and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2008-04-30 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Venice came to life on spongy mudflats at the edge of the habitable world. Protected in a tidal estuary from barbarian invaders and Byzantine overlords, the fishermen, salt gatherers, and traders who settled there crafted an amphibious way of life unlike anything the Roman Empire had ever known. In an astonishing feat of narrative history, James H. S. McGregor recreates this world-turned-upside-down, with its waterways rather than roads, its boats tethered alongside dwellings, and its livelihood harvested from the sea. McGregor begins with the river currents that poured into the shallow Lagoon, carving channels in its bed and depositing islands of silt. He then describes the imaginative responses of Venetians to the demands and opportunities of this harsh environment—transforming the channels into canals, reclaiming salt marshes for the construction of massive churches, erecting a thriving marketplace and stately palaces along the Grand Canal. Through McGregor’s eyes, we witness the flowering of Venice’s restless creativity in the elaborate mosaics of St. Mark’s soaring basilica, the expressive paintings in smaller neighborhood churches, and the colorful religious festivals—but also in theatrical productions, gambling casinos, and masked revelry, which reveal the city’s less pious and orderly face. McGregor tells his unique history of Venice by drawing on a crumbling, tide-threatened cityscape and a treasure-trove of art that can still be seen in place today. The narrative follows both a chronological and geographical organization, so that readers can trace the city’s evolution chapter by chapter and visitors can explore it district by district on foot and by boat.

Author : James H. S. McGregor
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674022637
Total Pages : 366 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Rome from the Ground Up written by James H. S. McGregor and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2006-10-31 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rome is not one city but many, each with its own history unfolding from a different center: now the trading port on the Tiber; now the Forum of antiquity; the Palatine of imperial power; the Lateran Church of Christian ascendancy; the Vatican; the Quirinal palace. Beginning with the very shaping of the ground on which Rome first rose, this book conjures all these cities, past and present, conducting the reader through time and space to the complex and shifting realities—architectural, historical, political, and social—that constitute Rome. A multifaceted historical portrait, this richly illustrated work is as gritty as it is gorgeous, immersing readers in the practical world of each period. James H. S. McGregor’s explorations afford the pleasures of a novel thick with characters and plot twists: amid the life struggles, hopes, and failures of countless generations, we see how things truly worked, then and now; we learn about the materials of which Rome was built; of the Tiber and its bridges; of roads, aqueducts, and sewers; and, always, of power, especially the power to shape the city and imprint it with a particular personality—like that of Nero or Trajan or Pope Sixtus V—or a particular institution. McGregor traces the successive urban forms that rulers have imposed, from emperors and popes to national governments including Mussolini’s. And, in archaeologists’ and museums’ presentation of Rome’s past, he shows that the documenting of history itself is fraught with power and politics. In McGregor’s own beautifully written account, the power and politics emerge clearly, manifest in the distinctive styles and structures, practical concerns and aesthetic interests that constitute the myriad Romes of our day and days past.

Author : Fred E. Weick
Publisher : Smithsonian Books (DC)
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 472 pages
Book Rating : 4.05/5 ( download)

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Download or read book FROM THE GROUND UP written by Fred E. Weick and published by Smithsonian Books (DC). This book was released on 1988-03-17 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Garry Wills
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0671047647
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.41/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Venice: Lion City written by Garry Wills and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2002-09-03 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in paperback, Wills's acclaimed book presents a new way of relating the history of the city through its art and, in turn, illuminates the art through the city's history. Illustrated with more than 130 works of art, 30 in full color.

Author : Tiziano Scarpa
Publisher : Profile Books
ISBN 13 : 1847651720
Total Pages : 129 pages
Book Rating : 4.23/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Venice is a Fish: A Cultural Guide written by Tiziano Scarpa and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2010-07-09 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Built on an inverted forest, paved with a tortoiseshell of boulders, Venice is a maze of tiny alleys, bridges and squares. Tiziano Scarpa wanders through the city, recounting the customs and secrets that only Venetians know. With everything from practical advice for aspiring Venetian lovers to hints at where to find the best bacaro, Scarpa waves the tourist in the right direction and, without naming a single restaurant, hotel or bar, relates the secret language needed to experience the real Venice. So ignore the street signs - why fight the labyrinth? Venice, the fish, is ready to swallow you whole.

Author : John Keahey
Publisher : Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN 13 : 9780312265946
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Venice Against the Sea written by John Keahey and published by Thomas Dunne Books. This book was released on 2002-03-20 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Venice is sinking - six feet over the past 1,000 years. The reasons for this are many. Although there is a natural geologic tendency for some sinking, humans have exacerbated the problem by exploiting on a massive scale underground water resources for industrial purposes. Coupled with these events - and perhaps most significant - are climatic changes all over the globe. The heating of the atmosphere after the last ice age, dramatically speeded up by humans, has led to a steady, continuing rise in sea level. This global warming is likely to persist beyond human control for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Venetians, other Italians, and many in the world community are locked in debate over Venice's plight. Venice Against the Sea explains how the city and its 177 canals were built and what has led up to this long-foreseen crisis. It explores the various options currently being considered for "solving" this problem and chronicles the ongoing debate among scientists, engineers, and politicians about the pros and cons of each potential solution. Through extensive research and interviews, award-winning journalist John Keahey has written the definitive book on this fascinating problem. No matter what the experts decide to do, one thing is for certain - Venice's art, its buildings, and its history are too important to the planet's cultural identity to let it slip beneath the rising waters of the Adriatic.

Author : Steve Berry
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0345509609
Total Pages : 564 pages
Book Rating : 4.04/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Venetian Betrayal written by Steve Berry and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2008-11-18 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 323 B.C.E, having conquered Persia, Alexander the Great set his sights on Arabia, then suddenly succumbed to a strange fever. Locating his final resting place-unknown to this day-remains a tantalizing goal for both archaeologists and treasure hunters. Now the quest for this coveted prize is about to heat up. And Cotton Malone-former U.S. Justice Department agent turned rare-book dealer-will be drawn into an intense geopolitical chess game. After narrowly escaping incineration in a devastating fire that consumes a Danish museum, Cotton learns from his friend, the beguiling adventurer Cassiopeia Vitt, that the blaze was neither an accident nor an isolated incident. As part of campaign of arson intended to mask a far more diabolical design, buildings across Europe are being devoured by infernos of unnatural strength. And from the ashes of the U.S.S.R., a new nation has arisen: Former Soviet republics have consolidated into the Central Asian Federation. At its helm is Supreme Minister Irina Zovastina, a cunning despot with a talent for politics, a taste for blood sport, and the single-minded desire to surpass Alexander the Great as history's ultimate conqueror. Backed by a secret cabal of powerbrokers, the Federation has amassed a harrowing arsenal of biological weapons. Equipped with the hellish power to decimate other nations at will, only one thing keeps Zovastina from setting in motion her death march of domination: a miraculous healing serum, kept secret by an ancient puzzle and buried with the mummified remains of Alexander the Great-in a tomb lost to the ages for more than 1,500 years. Together, Cotton and Cassiopeia must outrun and outthink the forces alliedagainst them. Their perilous quest will take them to the shores of Denmark, deep into the venerated monuments of Venice, and finally high inside the desolate Pamir mountains of Central Asia to unravel a riddle whose solution could destroy or save millions of people-depending on who finds the lost tomb first. From the Hardcover edition.

Author : Joanne M. Ferraro
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139536184
Total Pages : 493 pages
Book Rating : 4.89/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Venice written by Joanne M. Ferraro and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-06-23 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a sweeping historical portrait of the floating city of Venice from its foundations to the present day. Joanne M. Ferraro considers Venice's unique construction within an amphibious environment and identifies the Asian, European and North African exchange networks that made it a vibrant and ethnically diverse Mediterranean cultural centre. Incorporating recent scholarly insights, the author discusses key themes related to the city's social, cultural, religious and environmental history, as well as its politics and economy. A refuge and a pilgrim stop; an international emporium and centre of manufacture; a mecca of spectacle, theatre, music, gambling and sexual experimentation; and an artistic and architectural marvel, Venice's allure springs eternal in every phase of the city's fascinating history.

Author : Carlo MORETTI (of Venice.)
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Venice. Her Art-treasures and Historical Associations. A Guide to the City and the Neighbouring Islands, Translated [and Compiled] from the First Italian Edition, with ... Additions ... by C. M. With a Map of the City written by Carlo MORETTI (of Venice.) and published by . This book was released on 1871 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: