See also Italy General Library

“I saw it as I imagine most people do: as a museum full of tourists, a dead city. But as Venetians well know, it is much more than that. In Venice the past has remained alive in a vivid, disorienting way. It is with you all the time. It blends with the present.” — Andrea di Robilant

NONFICTION

The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt, 2005 — The author does for Venice what he did in his bestselling nonfiction examination of Savannah, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Paradise of Cities: Venice in the 19th Century, John Julius Norwich, 2003 — The author of the acclaimed A History of Venice turns his attention to a particularly fascinating period in the city’s history, drawing heavily on the writings of the writers and artists who visited then such as Browning, Byron and Ruskin.

The Stones of Venice, John Ruskin, 1853 — The eminent English Victorian discusses the art and architecture of the city to highlight principles addressed in his earlier work.

Venetian Life, William Dean Howells, 1866 —The American author, critic, and American consul to Venice (a reward for his favorable biography of Abraham Lincoln?) wrote a 2-volume examination of the city.

“Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.” —Truman Capote

FICTION

A Venetian Affair, Andrea di Robilati, 2003 — Compared to Les Liasons Dangereuse when it came out, this beautifully evoked love story is written by the descendant of one of the 18th-century Venetian lovers. Di Robilati researched the affair after discovering love letters and brings to life a golden era in the city through a very intimate story.

Death in Venice, Thomas Mann, 1912 —Mann’s tragic novella about a middle-aged author’s trip to Lido and his subsequent fatal obsession with a young boy during a cholera epidemic.

Doctored Evidence, Donna Leon, 2004 — This and the addictive series of urbane Comissario Guido Brunetti mysteries are unusual in that even when the criminal is uncovered, justice often gets tangled in the local corruption and red tape.

The Floating Book: A Novel of Venice, Michelle Lovric, 2004 — Seductive and erudite story which takes place at the time of the Venetian Renaissance.

The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare, 1594-97 — In this “problem play,” sometimes known as a comedy, a merchant becomes indebted to the Jewish moneylender Shylock at the cost of a pound of flesh for nonpayment, coining famous expressions in the English language – and giving rise to charges of anti-Semitism.

FOR YOUNGER READERS

The Thief Lord, Cornelia Funke, 2002 — The New York Times Book Review compared this to a Harry Potter set in Venice. Two orphans, Prosper and Bo, learn the secrets of the city of canals and the ways of a magical “thief lord.”