''Life on the Lagoons'', which deals with the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sc ...

of the watery area around the city of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, is the first book by the Scottish

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 st ...

Horatio Brown Horatio Robert Forbes Brown (16 February 1854 – 19 August 1926) 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 College and Oxfor ...

. The

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 According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a b ...

was published in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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 A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...

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 seen in and around the lagoons in his own day,Charles Dudley Warner, ''A Library of the World's Best Literature - Ancient and Modern'', vol. XLV (1896)
p. 497
/ref> based on his excursions, sometimes with his friend

John Addington Symonds John Addington Symonds, Jr. (; 5 October 1840 – 19 April 1893) was an English poet and literary critic. A cultural historian, he was known for his work on the Renaissance, as well as numerous biographies of writers and artists. Although m ...

, in a

sandolo upright 2, Sandolo in Canal Grande The sandolo is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat designed for the generally shallow waters of the Venetian Lagoon. The Italian plural is sandoli. Description A sandolo is less ornate and of a si ...

called ''Fisole'', which had orange sails decorated with a

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

The book is dedicated "To my Gondolier, ANTONIO SALIN, my constant companion in Venice and Venetia".Horatio F. Brown, ''Life on the Lagoons'' (3rd edition, 1900)
full text
at ebooksread.com The chapter-headings of the second edition are: ''The Lagoons : their Nature and their History; The

Gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...

; 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; 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 (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

in 1881 at

Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alps, Alpine resort town and a Municipalities of Switzerland, muni ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, through their mutual friend

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

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

's '' Fruits of Solitude''. 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

Critical reception

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 is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

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

Editions

* ''Life on the Lagoons'' (London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1884), 1st edition *''Life on the Lagoons'' (New York: Macmillan, 1894), 2nd edition * ''Life on the Lagoons'' (London: 1900), 3rd edition *''Life on the Lagoons'' (London: 1904), 4th edition''Life on the Lagoons'' (London: 1904, 4th edition)
hathitrust.org, accessed 6 January 2021 *''Life on the Lagoons'' (London: Rivingtons, 1909), 5th edition *''Life on the Lagoons'' (London: Read Books, 2008), paperback,

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

Notes

{{reflist 1884 non-fiction books British travel books Books about Venice Scottish non-fiction books English non-fiction books