London: Collins, 1965. Item #1483

8vo. 215 x 145 mm., [8 ½ x 5 ¾  inches]. 288 pp. with the addition of eight sheets of photographic plates inserted within the text and including Appendices: places of interest not mentioned in the text; Hotels; Twenty restaurants; Some books about Venice; Shops; Index. With twenty-two black and white photographic plates included on eight separate sheets inserted between pages of text; five black and white architectural plans of notable sites in Venice; fourteen black and white maps showing various parts of the city; identical colored maps of Venice printed on the front and back endpapers. Publisher’s light red cloth over boards with gilt lettering on a green label on the spine; orange bookmark ribbon; unclipped dust jacket. Book is Good: slight fraying at the head and foot of the spine and on the corners; bookmark ribbon frayed at the end; small dent along the top edge of the front cover; text block has markings, underlinings, and notes in black pen throughout but otherwise a fairly decent copy. Jacket is Fair; substantial chipping at the head and foot of the spine and along the top and bottom edges of the cover; moderate soiling and shelf wear.

First Edition. Hugh Honour (1927-2016) was a British art historian and author. He lived in Italy from 1954, settling in the town of Asolo near Venice, and wrote extensively on Romanticism and Neo-Classicism. His best-known work, The Visual Arts: A History (1982), presented a sweeping survey of the history of art and was noted for being one of the first comprehensive guides featuring non-Western works. In The Companion Guide to Venice, part of The Companion Guides series which aimed to fill a gap between fact-based travel guides and personal travel memoirs, Honour explores his adopted city and takes visitors through the most important sites as well as lesser known hidden gems. The extensive illustrations, maps and architectural plans throughout make it especially practical for travelers and the commentary by Honour adds a rich narrative layer with a focus on the art, history and culture of Venice.

Price: $75.00