Dream of Venice

Oh my gosh. The minute I opened up this velvety covered book and saw the very first image it revealed of Venice, I knew I was in for quite a treat. At the same time that this is not in any way like any other book that has been dedicated to Venice, it is so very full of the very spirit of what Venice is and imparts on the traveler. Unpredictable images show views of the city as if having just been discovered rather than 'staged' for hours, just as the city itself is experienced by the visitor; with each image inviting the reader to linger and wander through it, discovering something for themselves. This book shows that Venice, even in its contemporary form, even in its everyday, is extraordinarily beautiful and mysterious. Mary McCArthy writes that everything that can be said about Venice already has been. If that is so, then the words presented here lyrically shed new light onto this city and tell its story with poetry, depth and an honest look at what this city is today, revealing the kaleidoscope of experiences, emotions, and spaces that are the life of Venice. Frances Mayes' introduction is an exquisite piece of writing-almost a different side to anything I have ever read by her-and it was so very wonderful to read one of my favorite Italy inspired authors write about this remarkable city.I love that the book gives back to the city that inspired it, by donating a portion of proceeds to Save Venice.The attention to detail and craft that went into the making of this book is also quite remarkable, from the high quality paper and binding, to the sizing that fits perfectly and gently in one's hand for dreaming while perusing. This is a book to be savored, and I know I will treasure it for a long time and return to it time and again, whenever I wish to dream of Venice from my little corner of the world.Beautiful debut book from Bella Figura Publications and I look forward to following their future work.

Venice. Like its legendary carnival, the city is a whirlwind of masks, waltzing to a mysterious melody in a haze, somewhere on the verge of vision and reality, light and darkness. "Dream of Venice", the newly published vibrant gem of a book by JoAnn Locktov, manages to do just that -- in it the city appears dark and surreal, inspiring and enlightening, seductive and mysterious."Always in memory, the moon is full. Nowhere is the moon so powerful, enormous, so... well, heavenly. Because it floats, as the city floats, a mirage of a mirage. The moon could be chipped from travertine by an artist. Why not? Haven't humans created this unlikely phantasm of a city? Couldn't they just as easily hang a moon over it?", Frances Mayes muses in the book's foreword. Indeed, "phantasm" is the word that probably nails it best -- the place seems to naturally defy many laws of physics, or, simply, cross them out altogether with its escapism! And yet, as Mayes reminisces, the "sensory overload" never leaves, taking you on an adventure of thoughtlessly wandering around narrow streets, led by a kaleidoscope of sounds, colors, street music, art...Everyone's romance with Venice carries its own unique emotion, and "Dream of Venice" proves just that, showcasing a stellar collection of Venice photography by Charles Christopher -- each image masterfully juxtaposed by JoAnn Locktov with personal experiences of Venice as told by a number of prominent figures in the world of academy, cinematography, performing and visual arts, architecture and design. Expect to witness miniature autobiographical revelations of Venice by the likes of Woody Allen, Julie Christie, Peggy Guggenheim and Paul Mazursky.

The media could not be loaded.  Dream of Venice is about as far from a guidebook to the city as you can get, and yet it is a book that every visitor, past or future, should own and will value. In this book, words and photographs combine to paint a subtle picture of the soul and character of a very hard to define city. The passages and poems are chosen to match the photos – or vice versa – but not in an immediately obvious way. You have to read the words and study the photos to understand the connection and see why they are together. If you have been to Venice for anything beyond a superficial visit, each passage and each photo will bring back a memory and strike a resounding chord. If you have not been to Venice, the different viewpoints expressed will draw you in and make you long to go to see for yourself. And when you do go, you will remember this passage and that image and it will all make sense. The book is a work of art worthy of La Serenissima. JoAnn Locktov, Editor and Publisher, has done a masterful job of compiling the fragments into such a cohesive, resonant whole. Charles Christopher has photographed Venice like a native.

I bought this book as a gift. I wanted to share with my partner a more whimsical side of Venice. I wanted to try to explain the allure it holds for me. I didn't want a guidebook. I was looking for something that would catch the fanciful and imaginative quality of Venice. This book has entries from several contributors and I very much like how their impressions of Venice have been captured. Individual experiences of Venice are shared in a simple and engaging fashion. Not dissimilar to a group of friendly travellers, seated around the same table that have after a glass or two of wine, started to share stories about their favourite moments in Venice. Some will be told with humour. Some instilled with great fondness and others will hint at magic witnessed and lost.However, what does bring down my rating of this book are the pictures. The cover photo is lovely. The black and white image spanning two pages in the introduction is charming. But from there on the images are mostly bland. Despite the written content holding its own, the images don't begin to properly reflect the charm of this city.

There must be thousands of books devoted to Venice. The classics by Ruskin or Morris that never fade to reward the reader set against the multiple tourist guides that often replicate the usual images and a tired text to the point that your appetite is either sated or repelled. How delightful, therefore, to possess this book of photographs, prose and poetry that is so arrestingly appealing. Each page opening has a photograph and a response to Venice in text. If that sounds a little flat put like that, remember we are talking about photographs by Charles Christopher and text from a set of luminaries from the worlds of literature, opera, film, journalism, design, cookery and art, and so are curious to share their impressions of the city. Christopher captures Venice in all its sensory overload of colours both bright and subtle, its textures of water, stone and brick, its soft, atmospheric, watery spaces and its claustrophobic corners, its sense of drama past and drama about to happen just around the next turn of the canal or alleyway. Each photograph is a narrative in itself. And yet we welcome the words set alongside, the reactions of joy, puzzlement, mistrust, rapture, disbelief at the very existence of Venice.A city as beautiful as Venice calls for a beautiful book; here all the aspirations have been met. Part of the pleasure of the volume is the quality of paper, choice of fonts and colour reproduction. Design and production choices make for a lovely object. Editor JoAnn Locktov can be justifiably proud of this book, as can designer Sandra Popovich.Frances Mayes, whose own writing is as rich, lyrical and varied as the places she visits, is the ideal Venice-lover to provide the opening fanfare of the book with her foreword. She understands: "The memory of a place is like that. You are the dreamer. You are the room. You open the door over and over." And I think readers will open this book many, many times.

I have traveled to Venice 6-7 times. It's trully my dream city and this book keeps this dream alive! I have visited most hidden places and hidden beauties off the tourist track and I am very happy that this book reveals the hidden beauty of Venice, unlike other photobooks with the usual tourist photos. The photographer captures unique moments, romantic areas, isolated alleys and canals, plays excellent with the light and reveals the true magic of the Venetian night. The writings, stories and poems near the photos represent everybody's thoughts about this unique city...A 'must' book for Venice lovers !!!

Rarely do books about Venice manage to convey the kaleidoscopic magic in pictures with words of enchantment that so aptly describe the magic of the most evocative city on earth. Thank you!

Lovely pictures