Venice, Lion City : the Religion of Empire / Garry Wills by Wills, Garry, 1934-

New York : Simon & Schuster, c2001. First Edition. Hard Cover. 415 p., [16] p. of plates, 130 illus. (30 col.) ; 23.5 cm. "A rich, colorful, and provocative history of the world's most fascinating city in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when it was at the peak of its glory. This was not the city of decadence, carnival, and nostalgia familiar to us from later centuries. It was a ruthless imperial city, with a shrewd commercial base, like ancient Athens, which it resembles in its combination of art and sea empire. The structure of Venetian society was based on its distinctive practice of religion: Venice elected its priests, defied the authority of papal Rome, and organized its liturgy around a lay leader (the doge)." Notes, Include bibliographical references (p. [373]-397). Stock# 43,788. Vg/ dj vg.