It won the 1961 Heinemann Award, became an international best-seller and was cited as one of The Guardian ’s top 100 non-fiction books in 2011 (the endorsement read: "An eccentric but learned guide to the great city's art, history, culture and people" [1][2]).
Often hailed as one of the best travel books ever written, The Times described it as “a classic love letter to Italy’s most iconic city”.
Morris first visited Venice as a young British Army intelligence officer in 1945.
She returned in 1959 with her family, living in the city for many months and writing in this work about "what she calls the lust of Venice at that time, the beauty of the canals, the buildings, and especially the lagoon that left him speechless with pleasure".
[4] Venice is divided into three main sections — The People, The City, The Lagoon: Appended are a concise chronology of the city's history with relevant page references, an index and map references.