Rating: 
Summary: An intelligent book in an unsatisfactory edition
Review: Gary Wills's VENICE: LION CITY is a very intelligent study in cultural criticism by a popular and eminent American historian: as the book's dustcover makes clear, Simon and Schuster wants to market this as Wills' entry into Simon Schama territory. Basically, he's trying to interpret the most famous works of Venetian Renaissance art and architecture through the pervasive imperial ideology of what was an odd throwback to a Hellenistic city-state. The book works best for someone with a strong familiarity with the art of Venice already, and Wills answers some very intriguing questions along the way both on a factual level (why is the winged lion used to represent St. Mark, the city's patron? Why were Christians in earlier times so obsessed with saints' relics?) and on the interpretive level as well (why are Bellini's Madonnas so inward-looking?). But Simon and Schuster have not served this book well on many levels. It deserves a much fancier format than it is allowed, with much larger reproductions and more full-colored plates: some works Wills discusses (like Titan's "Assumption") are not reproduced at all, and a massive work like Tintoretto's "Crucifixion"--so important to Wills' argument--deserves a two-page (or fold-out) reproduction than the mere one page it receives. Also, someone needed to edit the book much more vigorously. I counted several times when Wills basically repeats an entire paragraph of interpretation from earlier in the work. This is a good book, but not for the casual reader, and it deserves in the future a much more sophisticated revision and re-issue.
Rating: 
Summary: A good reference, but boring
Review: I love history, but it has to have a decent narrative. This book does have history, but a good narrative appears sporadically. While better than scholarly writing, this just won't keep you glued to your seat. If you can push yourself to finish you deserve a pat on the back, but don't buy this book if you need to be enthralled.
Rating:
Summary: A good reference, but boring
Review: I love history, but it has to have a decent narrative. This book does have history, but a good narrative appears sporadically. While better than scholarly writing, this just won't keep you glued to your seat. If you can push yourself to finish you deserve a pat on the back, but don't buy this book if you need to be enthralled.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful in spots, tedious in others.
Review: I read Gary Wills book with great expectations
in preparation for a trip to Venice in February.
It provided a wealth of historical information that
cannot be found in the "tour books" and yet, was an
overall disappointment. The book became most tedious
when it ventured into the art of Titian, Giorgione, et al.
The non-color photographs were poorly produced and
difficult to see, let alone enjoy, in contrast to the
limited number of color plates that do appear. Greater in-depth treatment of the doges and their families would have made this a more interesting study. Perhaps I'll have a greater appreciation for the book after my return from our trip.
Rating:
Summary: Turgid, but- -
Review: I'm afraid "elventh" has it correct. This book is a great study of a specific slice of art history. I read everything Wills writes and pass along his writings to everyone I know, but not this one. For those with the patience and background, (I lack the background, but after reading it I lack less) however, it is fully worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Venice: Lion City
Review: I'm afraid "elventh" has it correct. This book is a great study of a specific slice of art history. I read everything Wills writes and pass along his writings to everyone I know, but not this one. For those with the patience and background, (I lack the background, but after reading it I lack less) however, it is fully worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Turgid, but- -
Review: I'm afraid "elventh" has it correct. This book is a great study of a specific slice of art history. I read everything Wills writes and pass along his writings to everyone I know, but not this one. For those with the patience and background, (I lack the background, but after reading it I lack less) however, it is fully worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but a bit tedious
Review: The author brings together in an erudite way the scholarship of a variety of writers about topics in Venice. He refers constantly to works of art and architecture in the city, but he does not always illustrate them. That's annoying. A good bit of the analysis is of the kind you find in art history textbooks.
The book is more interesting to skim than to read thoroughly.
Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile but a Difficult Read
Review: This book is a scholarly work on art in Venice during the Renaissance. There are some color plates but a lot of the art is in black and white. There should have been a lot more color plates.I found the going pretty heavy here and it is very annoying to have to turn back and forth to see the photographs referred to. There are also a lot of references to art work using catalogue numbers, which I did not understand at all. I took a long time to read this book--reading other less heavy books at the same time. You will take a long time to read this one too. It may, however, turn out to be the definitive book on Venitian art during the Renaissance. I am not certain, however, that it is a read for the average person. I ultimately read everything I purchase, so I read this one. If I had known how difficult this book would be to read, I probably would not have bought it. Having read it though, I am glad I did.
Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile but a Difficult Read
Review: This book is a scholarly work on art in Venice during the Renaissance. There are some color plates but a lot of the art is in black and white. There should have been a lot more color plates. I found the going pretty heavy here and it is very annoying to have to turn back and forth to see the photographs referred to. There are also a lot of references to art work using catalogue numbers, which I did not understand at all. I took a long time to read this book--reading other less heavy books at the same time. You will take a long time to read this one too. It may, however, turn out to be the definitive book on Venitian art during the Renaissance. I am not certain, however, that it is a read for the average person. I ultimately read everything I purchase, so I read this one. If I had known how difficult this book would be to read, I probably would not have bought it. Having read it though, I am glad I did.
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