Life on the Lagoons, which deals with the history and topography of the watery area around the city of Venice, is the first book by the Scottish historian Horatio Brown.
The first edition was published in London 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 in 2008.Horatio F. Brown, Life on the Lagoons (Read Books, 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 based on his excursions, sometimes with his friend John Addington Symonds, in a sandolo called Fisole, which had orange sails decorated with a fleur-de-lis.Phyllis Grosskurth, John Addington Symonds: a biography (1975), p. 241
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 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 in 1881 at Davos, Switzerland, through their mutual friend John Addington Symonds. Stevenson took a liking to Brown and later sent him a copy of William Penn's Fruits of Solitude.Robert Louis Stevenson, The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson to His Family and Friends vol. I (2008 reprint), p. 232 Stevenson read Life on the Lagoons and wrote the poem "To H. F. Brown" to celebrate the book.Eliakim Littell, Robert S. Littell, The Living Age, vol. 255 (1907), p. 536
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 snowTo H. F. Brown, text of poem online at poetryloverspage.com
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, in A Library of the World's Best Literature (1896) says:
Editions Life on the Lagoons (London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1884), 1st editionLife on the Lagoons (London: London, K. Paul, Trench & Co., 1884), hathitrust.org, accessed 6 January 2021 Life on the Lagoons (New York: Macmillan, 1894), 2nd editionLife on the Lagoons (New York: Macmillan, 1894, 2nd edition) hathitrust.org, accessed 6 January 2021 Life on the Lagoons (London: 1900), 3rd editionLife on the Lagoons (London: 1900, 3rd edition), hathitrust.org, accessed 6 January 2021 Life on the Lagoons (London: 1904), 4th editionLife 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