A large part of Howell's time in Venice was given up to a critical study of life in that city, and in his "Venetian Life," which appeared in 1866, he has given to the world the result of his observation and study. The book abounds in dainty pen pictures of the beauties of Venice ; as he tells us of the Grand canal, we can almost hear the dipping paddles of passing gondolas, and the barcarolle wafted on the evening breeze. It may seem almost sacrilege to lovers of the old legends, that he explains away the romanticism of the Doge's palace, and denominates the Bridge of Sighs a " pathetic swindle". The book's finish was such as to reveal the highly interesting literary individuality of the author.

This unique collection of William Dean Howells' complete travel books has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards. Extract: "Nothing can be fairer to the eye than these "summer isles of Eden" lying all about Venice, far and near. The water forever trembles and changes, with every change of light, from one rainbow glory to another, as with the restless hues of an opal; and even when the splendid tides recede, and go down with the sea, they leave a heritage of beauty to the empurpled mud of the shallows, all strewn with green, disheveled sea-weed. The lagoons have almost as wide a bound as your vision." William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was an American realist author, literary critic, and playwright. Nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters", he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the Atlantic Monthly as well as his own prolific writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day", and the novels The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria. Howells is known to be the father of American realism, and a denouncer of the sentimental novel. He was the first American author to bring a realist aesthetic to the literature of the United States. His stories of Boston upper crust life set in the 1850s are highly regarded among scholars of American fiction. After short campaign in Republican administration, Howells was appointed a consul in Venice in 1861. He remained in Italy for 4 years and during this time he wrote travel sketches and reports describing life in town and country. Later on, he came back to Europe, which resulted in few more travel books to his name. Table of Contents: Venetian Life Italian Journeys Roman Holidays and Others Suburban Sketches Familiar Spanish Travels A Little Swiss Sojourn London Films Seven English Cities