Published in a thoroughly revised second edition,
Venice and Amsterdam
is a comparative history of the elites of these two major cities in early modern Europe.
List of Illustrations viii
Acknowledgements x
Introduction to the Second Edition xii
Abbreviations xxvi
1 The Study of Elites 1
2 Structure 11
3 Political Functions 32
4 Economic Base
5 Style of Life
6 Training 84
7 Attitudes and Values 94
8 Patronage of the Arts 111
9 From Entrepreneurs to Rentiers 125
Appendix: The Investments of the Amsterdam Elite 140
Bibliography 142
Index 162
'His book is most enjoyable and should appeal not only to the historian but to the interested visitor of these two beautiful cities.'
The GuardianPeter Burke is Reader in Cultural History and Fellow of Emmanuel College, at the University of Cambridge. A sucessful author, his pblished works include
The Art of Conversation (Polity, 1993), and
The Italian Renaissance (Polity, 1987).
Venice and Amsterdam is a work of comparative history which examines the elites or ruling groups of two major cities in early modern Europe. By describing these elites and their similarities and differences, Burke is able to illuminate the societies which gave rise to them and to analyze some of the broader changes which were taking place in the course of the seventeenth century.
Focusing on the lives of 563 individuals - the procuratori di San Marco in Venice and the aldermen and burgomasters of Amsterdam - Burke examines the ways in which the elites recruited themselves, their wealth and their power; he describes thl#,
![Venice and Amsterdam [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/5/1/4/2_341078.jpg)