Venice

Often hailed as one of the best travel books ever written, Venice is neither a guide nor a history book, but a beautifully written immersion in Venetian life and character, set against the background of the city''s past. Analysing the particular temperament of Venetians, as well as its waterways, its architecture, its bridges, its tourists, its curiosities, its smells, sounds, lights and colours, there is scarcely a corner of Venice that Jan Morris has not investigated and brought vividly to life. Jan Morris first visited the city of Venice as young James Morris, during World War II. As she writes in the introduction, ''it is Venice seen through a particular pair of eyes at a particular moment - young eyes at that, responsive above all to the stimuli of youth.'' Venice is an impassioned work on this magnificent but often maddening city. Jan Morris''s collection of travel writing and reportage spans over five decades and includes such titles as Sydney, Coronation Everest, Hong Kong, Spain and Manhattan ''45. Since its first publication, Venice has appeared in many editions, won the W.H. Heinemann award and become an international bestseller. ''The best book about Venice ever written'' Sunday Times ''No sensible visitor should visit the place without it . . . Venice stands alone as the essential introduction, and as a work of literature in its own right.'' Observer