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Inventing the World

Venice and the Transformation of Western Civilization
By Meredith F. Small
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Inventing the World by Meredith F. Small explores how the ingenuity of Venice, a small yet influential city, shaped modern Western civilisation. The book reveals how Venetian inventions—from everyday items like sunglasses and forks to complex financial systems like bonds and currency—have left a lasting impact. Small delves into the city's unique social structures that spurred creativity across diverse fields such as medicine, opera, and child-labour laws. The narrative also reflects on Venice's ongoing role in innovation amid contemporary challenges like rising sea levels.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in cultural history, anthropology, and the impact of social structures on innovation. It suits those fascinated by Venice, European history, and the origins of modern institutions and customs.

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An epic cultural journey that reveals how Venetian ingenuity and inventions—from sunglasses and forks to bonds and currency—shaped modernity.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
An epic cultural journey that reveals how Venetian ingenuity and inventions—from sunglasses and forks to bonds and currency—shaped modernity.

How did a small, isolated city—with a population that never exceeded 100,000, even in its heyday—come to transform western civilization? Acclaimed anthropologist Meredith Small, the author of the groundbreaking Our Babies, Ourselves, examines the unique Venetian social structure that was key to their explosion of creativity and invention that ranged from the material to social.

Whether it was boats or money, medicine or face cream, opera, semicolons, tiramisu or child-labour laws, these all originated in Venice and have shaped contemporary notions of institutions and conventions ever since. The foundation of how we now think about community, health care, money, consumerism, and globalization all sprung forth from the Laguna Veneta.

But Venice is far from a historic relic or a life-sized museum. It is a living city that still embraces its innovative roots. As climate change affects sea-level rises, Venice is on the front lines of preserving its legacy and cultural history to inspire a new generation of innovators.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

"Venice does not lack admirers, but this is an inventive addition. An anthropologist at Cornell, Small emphasises the city’s social structure as she describes ‘how one small place had an outsized influence on the development of Western culture.’ Venice lovers already familiar with plaudits by other travellers and historians will enjoy this different perspective." – Kirkus Review

"Small catalogs a dizzying array of Venetian innovations in this illuminating account. Small enlivens her research with personal anecdotes about her love for Venice, and moves fluidly from one topic to the next. The result is a delightful and informative cabinet of wonders." – Publishers Weekly

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781643135380

Publisher: Pegasus Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 18 February 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Pegasus Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 544g

Pages: 336

Collections

Arts & Culture Home & Garden Meredith F. Small Non-Fiction

About the Author

Meredith F. Small is a professor of anthropology at Cornell University and the author of Our Babies, Ourselves; What's Love Got to Do with It?; and Female Choices. She has written for Natural History Magazine, Discover, Scientific American, and is a commentator for National Public Radio's All Things Considered. She lives in Philadelphia.

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