The Spirit of Venice is a history of the first great economic and naval power of the modern Western world, from its struggle to ascendancy, through the arc of its glory - when its trading empire reached as far afield as China, Syria and West Africa - to the beginning of its long and fascinating decl...

The Spirit of Venice is a history of the first great economic and naval power of the modern Western world, from its struggle to ascendancy, through the arc of its glory - when its trading empire reached as far afield as China, Syria and West Africa - to the beginning of its long and fascinating decline.