The Grand Canal Book

The Grand Canal reproduces the journey along the world's most picturesque waterway through beautiful photographs of illustrious palaces, and public and religious buildings, all taken from the perspective of a boat. Each photograph displays a length of 278 feet of building fa ades allowing the reader study every block of the historic events and architectural history of each edifice. The introduction explains the story of the Grand Canal and of its importance as the place from which the city developed and its splendor grew. The narrative is accompanied by images of a Venice long gone, available only through these photographs from old souvenir albums, which were once sold to tourists at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

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Translated and adapted by Daniel Wheeler et al. from the Italian original (1993, Arsenale Editrice). Offers a complete photographic and textual survey of the famous watercourse, unfolding as if the reader were a passenger in a gondola moving over the water while listening to the aesthetic and social history of each building (316 in all), with occasional forays into some beautiful and important interiors. Illustrated with 220 photos (in color, except for the 14 historical photos) presented as double-page spreads. The photographer is Mark Smith. Distributed by Rizzoli. 11x13" Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)