Blurbs often describe history books as magisterial. This one does, and it is. It tells of the 500 years of Venetian history from 1000 to 1500, during which time the Venetian Empire developed and expanded their influence to become the richest and most powerful place on earth. They fought off rigorous challenges from The Turks, the Genoese and others to completely dominate trade in the Mediterranean. Then they fell apart. This cautionary tale is based on first hand accounts of trade, warfare, piracy and politics; clearly the Venetians recorded everything they did, and you get the feeling that Crowley has read the entire archive. The storytelling is colourful and authoritative, and the book is enhanced by colour illustrations, drawings and maps. This is an epic history, very well organised and very well told.