There are numerous other books with aerial views of Venice but this volume is the only one that includes virtually all of the lesser known or often ignored areas of the lagoon. Of course Murano, Burano, Mazzorbo, and Torcello are included but also wonderful views of islands from Santa Cristina in the north, the lazzaretto islands, to Chioggia all the way in the south, and many more. Each island is highlighted by several large aerial view photographs and text detailing the history of the island and interesting anecdotes, some of which I had not heard before.

The main central islands of Venice itself are also represented with several dozen full page aerial photos. I would have liked to have seen some more images of the western half of Venice as most of the images were of the eastern areas of Castello, including many of San Pietro and the Arsenale.

The one thing that the book really needs is a map. I am fairly well read on Venice and the lagoon and I had to refer to maps in other books to help me with the location of a few of the smaller islands. Anyone not familiar with Venice would have a hard time visualizing the locations of the islands without a basic map.

Even with these small detractions, I still feel this book will be a valuable and beautiful addition to my Venice collection and can recommend it to anyone interested in the lesser known islands of the lagoon. ( )