{"product_id":"2026100011396-secondhand-the-stones-of-venice","title":"The Stones Of Venice","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Very good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Slipcase: Good\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFew works in the history of art criticism have reshaped Western thought as profoundly as The Stones of Venice, John Ruskin's monumental survey of Venetian architecture and its moral dimensions. Published originally between 1851 and 1853, this magisterial text chronicles the rise and fall of Venice through the lens of its buildings, arguing with passionate conviction that architecture is a direct expression of a society's spiritual and ethical health. Ruskin presents Gothic architecture as the pinnacle of human creative endeavour — organic, honest, and alive — while condemning the cold perfection of Renaissance classicism as symptomatic of a civilisation in moral decline.\n\nBeyond its architectural analysis, The Stones of Venice stands as one of the great works of Victorian prose, rich with lyrical description and polemical force that influenced figures as diverse as William Morris, Marcel Proust, and the entire Arts and Crafts movement. This Folio Society edition, edited and introduced by Jan Morris — herself one of the finest writers on Venice — distils Ruskin's vast three-volume opus into an authoritative and beautifully curated text, making it accessible to a new generation of readers. Whether one approaches it as a work of art history, social criticism, or sublime travel writing, the question Ruskin poses — what does the way we build say about who we are? — remains as urgent and unanswered as ever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50572329025755,"sku":"2026100011396-SECONDHAND","price":50.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/9bb30a7d-50d9-4a89-b226-0accaf249abf.png?v=1791166375","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100011396-secondhand-the-stones-of-venice","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}