PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION¹

[1851]

1. IN the course of arranging the following essay, I put many things aside in my thoughts, to be said in the Preface, things which I shall now put aside altogether, and pass by; for when a book has been advertised a year and half,² it seems best to present it with as little preface as possible.

Thus much, however, it is necessary for the reader to know, that, when I planned the work, I had materials by me, collected at different times of sojourn in Venice during the last seventeen years,³ which it seemed to me might be arranged with little difficulty, and which I believed to be of value as illustrating the history of Southern Gothic. Requiring, however, some clearer assurance respecting certain points of chronology, I went to Venice finally in the autumn of 1849, not doubting but that the dates of the principal edifices of the ancient city were either ascertained, or ascertainable without extraordinary research. To my consternation, I found that the Venetian antiquaries were not agreed within a century as to the date of the building of the façade of the Ducal Palace, and that nothing was known of any other civil edifice of the early city, except that at some time or other it had been fitted up for somebody’s reception, and been thereupon fresh

¹ [Reprinted in all subsequent editions of the complete work. The numbering of the paragraphs is here introduced for convenience of reference.]

² [The Stones of Venice was first announced as being in preparation in the advertisements (1849) of The Seven Lamps of Architecture: see Vol. VIII. p. li.]

³ [i.e. since 1835, in which year Ruskin paid his first visit to Venice (October 6-12): for memorials of it see Vol. I. pp. lv. 537. His second visit was in 1841 (May 8-16): for his impressions on that occasion see Vol. I. p. 453. His third was in 1845 (September 10-October 13): see Vol. IV. pp. xxxv.-xxxix. His fourth was in 1846 (May 14-28): see Vol. VIII. p. xxiii. For his visit in 1849-1850, see above, Introduction, pp. xxiv.-xxx. After writing the first volume of the Stones, he again wintered at Venice (September 1, 1851-June 29, 1852).]

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[Version 0.04: March 2008]