Venice Audiobook By Professor Thomas F. Madden cover art

Venice

A New History

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Venice

By: Professor Thomas F. Madden
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
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An extraordinary chronicle of Venice, its people, and its grandeur Thomas Madden’s majestic, sprawling history of Venice is the first full portrait of the city in English in almost thirty years. Using long-buried archival material and a wealth of newly translated documents, Madden weaves a spellbinding story of a place and its people, tracing an arc from the city’s humble origins as a lagoon refuge to its apex as a vast maritime empire and Renaissance epicenter to its rebirth as a modern tourist hub. Madden explores all aspects of Venice’s breathtaking achievements: the construction of its unparalleled navy, its role as an economic powerhouse and birthplace of capitalism, its popularization of opera, the stunning architecture of its watery environs, and more. He sets these in the context of the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire, the endless waves of Crusades to the Holy Land, and the awesome power of Turkish sultans. And perhaps most critically, Madden corrects the stereotype of Shakespeare’s money-lending Shylock that has distorted the Venetian character, uncovering instead a much more complex and fascinating story, peopled by men and women whose ingenuity and deep faith profoundly altered the course of civilization.

©2012 Thomas F. Madden (P)2012 Recorded Books Middle Ages Italy Crusade Renaissance Europe World Turkey Imperialism Interwar Period Middle East Inspiring Latin America Africa
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Comprehensive History • Fascinating Details • Perfect Italian Pronunciation • Educational Content • Engaging Storytelling

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Riveting history. Very easy to absorb and great pace of narrative. Just enough detail to provide insight without overwhelming the listener. A great achievement to cover everything from the founding of the city to the great flood of 1966. I knew little of the events leading up to the end of the republic and the eventual incorporation into Italy in the 1860s. But the tales of naval battles, Byzantine intrigue and the pilfering of St Mark’s remains are spellbindingly well told. It touches on art, architecture and music, as well as crusades and commerce. All in all, excellent.

Terrific read

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Wow, 17 hours and I could not stop listening! Edoardo's narration is one of the best audible adaptations ever. Professor Madden's approach to this history; equal parts education and entertainment is truly enlightening. He brings these 1000 year old characters and their motivations to life. People who love history will love this excellent read.

The Doge is dead, Long Live Venice

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The narrator was great, perfect for this epic story. His Italian added immensely to the impact.

the narrator was great

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I really loved this book. Total immersion in Venetian history over the past week or so while “ reading” it has deepened my long felt love of the values and example and experience of the Venetian republican city state and empire immensely. Those who know me well know that I don’t like “nation states” much at all and prefer city states and regions. In my humble opinion, the city state of Venice at its height was one of the best examples of responsible, successful Western style republican governance in modern times and has much to teach the broken, deeply flawed popular Western republican democracies of today especially in the USA and Italy, as well as the constitutional monarchies of Spain and the United Kingdom. Highly recommended reading.

Excellent history book. Excellent audible narration

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After listening to many of these audible books, this is one of the very best: well researched, entertaining, fascinating, and superbly written. Bravo.

Great history - very interesting

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