"More than simply a survey of an ancient city's most significant buildings, The Stones of Venicefirst published in three volumes between 1851 and 1853is an expression of a philosophy of art, nature, and morality that goes beyond art history, and has inspired such thinkers as Leo Tolstoy, Marcel Proust, and Mahatma Gandhi. Volume I, intended as the groundwork for the author's subsequent architectural teaching, provides a brief history of Venice and an analysis of architectures functional and ornamental aspects. Unabridged, and containing Ruskins original drawings, this guide to the moral, spiritual, and aesthetic implications of architecture will be appreciated by students and scholars alike. The preeminent art critic of his time, British writer JOHN RUSKIN (18191900) had a profound influence upon European painting, architecture, and aesthetics of the 19th and 20th centuries. His immense body of literary works include Modern Painters, Volume IIV (18431856); The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849); Unto This Last (1862); Munera Pulveris (18623); The Crown of Wild Olive (1866); Time and Tide (1867); and Fors Clavigera (1871-84)."