City of Fortune: How Venice Won and Lost a Naval Empire
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Review
'Hugely readable, well-written and informative ... Crowley is excellent.' --Stella Tillyard, Daily Telegraph
'Roger Crowley makes a trustworthy and wonderfully eloquent guide ... Crowley is such a natural narrative historian, with such an eye for colourful but telling details and such a knack for dramatic character sketches, that he remains a constant joy to read.' --Christopher Hart, Sunday Times
'... the rise and fall of Venice's empire is an irresistible story and Crowley, with his rousing descriptive gifts and scholarly attention to detail, is its perfect chronicler. For centuries, he notes, the republic's sailors returned home with ''gold, spices, plague and grief''; and in this compelling book, like a scrupulous Venetian merchant, he weighs out full measures of each.' --Michael Prodger, Financial Times
'Roger Crowley makes a trustworthy and wonderfully eloquent guide ... Crowley is such a natural narrative historian, with such an eye for colourful but telling details and such a knack for dramatic character sketches, that he remains a constant joy to read.' --Christopher Hart, Sunday Times
'... the rise and fall of Venice's empire is an irresistible story and Crowley, with his rousing descriptive gifts and scholarly attention to detail, is its perfect chronicler. For centuries, he notes, the republic's sailors returned home with ''gold, spices, plague and grief''; and in this compelling book, like a scrupulous Venetian merchant, he weighs out full measures of each.' --Michael Prodger, Financial Times
Book Description
From the prize-winning author of Empires of the Sea comes an epic work of narrative maritime history.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am in awe of Mr Crowley. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed his first 2 books Constantinople 1453 and Empire of the sea.,I did not expect a third masterpiece in a row. Well, Venice, city of fortune ranks among the best history books I have ever read.
I have spent the best part of my last 20 summers touring around the Venetian lagoon;I never looked properly !I have learnt more from reading this wonderful book at home than from my unfortunately misguided visits.
The history of the rise anf fall of Venice as a great maritime power is an absolutely terrific story.The 4th crusade and the sacking of Constantinople, the response to the rebellion in Crete, the savage war against their bitter rivals from genoa,etc show the writer's prodigious ability to develop unforgettable,emotionally textured characters and stories.
And when you think that early on'' the city's prosperity rested on nothing tangible-no land holdings,no natural resources,no agricultural production or large population.There was literally no solid ground underfoot.''
Next time, Mr Crowley could end up writing about the most uninteresting topic, but I will be the first one to rush and buy it.
I have spent the best part of my last 20 summers touring around the Venetian lagoon;I never looked properly !I have learnt more from reading this wonderful book at home than from my unfortunately misguided visits.
The history of the rise anf fall of Venice as a great maritime power is an absolutely terrific story.The 4th crusade and the sacking of Constantinople, the response to the rebellion in Crete, the savage war against their bitter rivals from genoa,etc show the writer's prodigious ability to develop unforgettable,emotionally textured characters and stories.
And when you think that early on'' the city's prosperity rested on nothing tangible-no land holdings,no natural resources,no agricultural production or large population.There was literally no solid ground underfoot.''
Next time, Mr Crowley could end up writing about the most uninteresting topic, but I will be the first one to rush and buy it.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
While there is no doubt that Crowley is a very good writer and that this book is well written and interesting, this is not a history of Venice. It is more a history of 200 years of Venetian naval warfare between 1300 and 1500. A lot of details about sea battles, a lot of details about the tactical disposition of armies and navies. So, great if you are interested in military history. Not so good if you want an idea of how the Venetian state was organised, day to day life, details on the economy and politics. Even Venice's expansion in Italy is ignored. And if you want to know anything about how the Venetian republic came into existence or indeed what happened after 1500, you need to get a different book.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read Roger Crowley's two previous books on Constantinople and Empires of the Sea I was delighted to find that City of Fortune has maintained the excellent quality of his writing. Well researched, light enough for a holiday read and top quality maps to help the geographically puzzled to follow the rise and fall of Venice.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Crowley does it again
City of Fortune is another real Crowleyan labour of love, almost as good as Empires of the Sea. Great story on how Venice became powerful and rich, the high point being the absurd... Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. Baerends
Disappointing
Having read Mr. Crowley's previous excellent books I was really disappointed with this. It's disjointed rather than a straight narrative and concentrates on a few pivotal ( and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by p sommerville
Much more than Venice
This superb read is far more than just the story of the Venetian Empire. While the main thread of the book is about Venice we get the story of the Eastern Mediterranean, the fall... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Colin Martin
Mercifully un-Magisterial
I've learnt to avoid history books described as 'magisterial'; it seems to mean verbose, boringly-written, preoccupied with fine detail at the expense of narrative tension. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Shove Coupler
UK & US Editions
This UK edition (ISBN 978-0571245949 "City of Fortune: How Venice Won and Lost a Naval Empire") has glued binding and pages with clean-cut edges (and British spelling). Read more
Published 4 months ago by Diotima
Glad it is not just about Venice the City
It is a great read and very informative. Provide readers full comprehension of the rise and fall of Venice - as the title suggested.
Published 4 months ago by Shanghai Sea
Perfect History
This is the definitive history of Venice. Crowley is an expert in this field and he has done a magnificent job. It is wonderfully researched and beautifully written. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Londonreviewer
the full polo
crowley is a venice specialist and this did not disappoint telling of early venice exploiting its connections to the byzantine trade links , exploiting the decline and fall of the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by mark1000
Wonderful
I had this shipped to the United States because I didn't want to wait three months for it to be released here. It was totally worth it. Can't wait for his next book! :-)
Published 7 months ago by Peter
AN INSIGHT INTO THE CRUSADES
This book is a must for everyone interested in naval warfare, the Crusades, the balance of power in the Mediterranean and the Near East. Read more
Published 7 months ago by David Wragg
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