A vivid 1,000-year history of the Venetian Republic from its ancient settlement to its humiliating defeat by Napoleon in 1797. Norwich, who also wrote a three-volume history of the Byzantine empire, marshals myriad personalities, battles, sieges, and facts into a compelling history of Venice's rise to power under the Doges. He's a terrific writer, and a great admirer of this "most beautiful of cities."  (ITL177, $25.00)