The Stones of Venice, Volume 2 is the heart of John Ruskin’s monumental study of Venetian architecture. It contains his famous chapter ‘The Nature of Gothic,’ a celebration of the medieval craftsman’s freedom and a critique of the dehumanizing labor of the modern age that profoundly influenced William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement.
Ranging over the churches and palaces of Venice, Ruskin reads their stones as moral and historical documents, tracing the city’s greatness to the spirit of its Gothic builders. It is among the most important works of Victorian criticism. This free EPUB download is cleanly formatted for any e-reader.