Public-domain ebook
A Wanderer in Venice
by E. V. Lucas
Language: en1,364 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Travel Writing·History - European
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #16705.
About this book
The book is a richly illustrated travel guide that blends historical overview with a personal itinerary through Venice and its lagoon. It opens by acknowledging that a full history of the city lies elsewhere, then quickly moves to practical advice, urging the traveler to approach the “Bride of the Adriatic” via Chioggia or, alternatively, the quieter Fusina route. The author, E. V. Lucas, peppers the narrative with references to earlier writers, Brown, Howells, Douglas, Richardson, Baedeker, while detailing the visual feast that awaits: the Campanile of San Marco, the Doge’s Palace, the Grand Canal, and the myriad churches and museums that will be explored chapter by chapter. The opening pages also list an extensive catalogue of colour and monochrome illustrations, promising a visual companion to the prose.
Lucas writes in a genteel, early‑20th‑century voice, combining scholarly citation with the enthusiastic tone of a seasoned wanderer. The prose is dense yet lyrical, reflecting the period’s reverence for art and architecture, and the detailed itinerary will appeal to readers who enjoy methodical, picture‑rich explorations of historic cities. Those fascinated by Venetian art, architecture, and the romance of travel in the pre‑World‑War era will find this guide both informative and evocative.
Who appears in A Wanderer in Venice
- H.F. BrownMiddle‑aged gentleman in early 1900s attire, dark suit, waistcoat, spectacles, neatly trimmed beard
- HowellsThoughtful Victorian‑era writer, crisp shirt with high collar, pocket watch, short hair, slight moustache
- Col. Hugh DouglasDistinguished retired officer, military uniform with medals, trimmed moustache, silver‑threaded coat, dignified posture
The opening · free to read
For the history of Venice the reader must also go elsewhere, yet for the sake of clarity a little history has found its way even into these pages. To go to Venice without first knowing her story is a mistake, and doubly foolish because the city has been peculiarly fortunate in her chroniclers and eulogists. Mr. H.F. Brown stands first among the living, as Ruskin among the dead; but Ruskin is for the student patient under chastisement, whereas Mr. Brown's serenely human pages are for all. Of Mr. Howells' Venetian Life I have spoken more than once in this book; its truth and vivacity are a proof of how little the central Venice has altered, no matter what changes there may have been in government or how often campanili fall. The late Col. Hugh Douglas's Venice on Foot, if conscientiously followed, is such a key to a treasury of interest as no other city has ever possessed. To Mrs. Audrey Richardson's Doges of Venice I am greatly indebted, and Herr Baedeker has been here as elsewhere (in the Arab idiom) my father and my mother.
E.V.L.
June, 1914.
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