Life on the Lagoons, which deals with the history

History of Venice

Venice is a city in Italy. It was also an independent republic from the late 8th century to 1792.*For the history of the city, see History of the city of Venice.*For the Republic, see History of the Republic of Venice....

 and topography

Topography

Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...

 of the watery area around the city of Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, is the first book by the Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

 Horatio Brown

Horatio Brown

Horatio Robert Forbes Brown was a Scottish historian who specialized in the history of Venice and Italy.Born in Nice, he grew up in Midlothian, Scotland, was educated in England at Clifton and Oxford, and spent most of his life in Venice, publishing several books about the city...

.

The first edition

First edition

The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...

 was published in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in 1884, a revised second edition appeared ten years later in 1894, and there were further editions in 1900, 1904, and 1909.

The book was republished as a paperback

Paperback

Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...

 in 2008.

Outline

Brown begins by setting out the natural topography of the lagoons, then their history from the year 452. He goes on to describe the human and animal life to be observed in and around the lagoons in his own day, based on his excursions (sometimes with his friend John Addington Symonds

John Addington Symonds

John Addington Symonds was an English poet and literary critic. Although he married and had a family, he was an early advocate of male love , which he believed could include pederastic as well as egalitarian relationships. He referred to it as l'amour de l'impossible...

) in a sandolo

Sandolo

The sandolo is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat designed for the generally shallow waters of the Venetian Lagoon. The plural is sandoli.A sandolo is of a much simpler build than a gondola, but has a pointed, decorated metal nose...

 called Fisole, which had orange sails decorated with a fleur-de-lis

Fleur-de-lis

The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...

.

The book is dedicated "To my Gondolier, ANTONIO SALIN, my constant companion in Venice and Venetia".

The chapter-headings of the second edition are: The Lagoons : their Nature and their History; The Gondola

Gondola

The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...

; The Traghetti; A Gondolier's Bank; Floods in the City; The Casa degli Spiriti; Sant' Elena; Osele; Sails and Sailmaking; A Vision of La Sensa; Processions; San Nicolo del Lido

San Nicolò al Lido

San Nicolò al Lido is a church in Venice, northern Italy. It is located in the northern part of Venice's Lido, and houses the relics of St. Nicholas, patron of sailors...

; The Doves of Saint Mark; The Ducal Palace; All Souls; The Madonna della Salute; Home Life; Popular Beliefs; Popular Poetry; A Regatta and its Sequel; and Mi Chiama il Mare.

Poem by Stevenson

Horatio Brown met Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....

 in 1881 at Davos

Davos

Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, through their mutual friend John Addington Symonds

John Addington Symonds

John Addington Symonds was an English poet and literary critic. Although he married and had a family, he was an early advocate of male love , which he believed could include pederastic as well as egalitarian relationships. He referred to it as l'amour de l'impossible...

. Stevenson took a liking to Brown and later sent him a copy of William Penn

William Penn

William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...

's Fruits of Solitude

Some Fruits of Solitude in Reflections and Maxims

Some Fruits of Solitude in Reflections and Maxims is a 1682 collection of epigrams and sayings put together by the early American Quaker leader William Penn. Like Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack the work collected the wisdom of pre-Revolutionary USA. It is included in volume one of the...

. Stevenson read Life on the Lagoons and wrote the poem "To H. F. Brown" to celebrate the book.

Now, thanks to your triumphant care,

Your pages clear as April air,

The sails, the bells, the birds, I know,

And the far-off Friulan snow

Reviews

The British Quarterly Review said of the first edition in 1884 —
The Literary World said in 1894 of the second edition —
Charles Dudley Warner

Charles Dudley Warner

Charles Dudley Warner was an American essayist, novelist, and friend of Mark Twain, with whom he co-authored the novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.-Biography:...

, in A Library of the World's Best Literature (1896) says -

Editions

• Life on the Lagoons (London: 1884, 1st edition)
• Life on the Lagoons (London: 1894, 2nd edition)
• Life on the Lagoons (London: 1900, 3rd edition)
• Life on the Lagoons (London: 1904, 4th edition)
• Life on the Lagoons (London: Rivingtons, 1909, 5th edition)
• Life on the Lagoons (London: Read Books, 2008), paperback, ISBN 9781443707657

External links

• Horatio F. Brown, Life on the Lagoons (2008 reprint) - preview text online at books.google.com
• Horatio F. Brown, Life on the Lagoons (3rd edition, 1900) - full text online at ebooksread.com