I mentioned in last week's Reading and Research thread that I was reading Venice: A New History by Thomas Madden. Well, I finished it this morning and wanted to answer the question that /u/caffarelli posed because I actually found an answer!

...when did Venice get its reputation as a "sinking city?

According to Thomas Madden, this reputation only arose after Venice was flooded by a major storm on November 3, 1966.

On the morning of November 4 the waves, driven by gale-force winds, forced their way into the Venetian lagoon, increasing the sea level there almost six feet above high tide. Venetians awoke to find their city underwater...Because the winds continued all day, the tide bore nothing out. For almost twenty-four hours the city was paralyzed. When at last the waters receded, the damage left behind was severe. Furniture, garbage, dead animals, and raw sewage lay everywhere. Venice's fragile buildings were damaged not only by the salt water on the lower levels, but also by the wicking of the moisture to the upper levels.

Madden says the storm had a major impact on the public image of Venice in other parts of the world, particular in the United States.

It is difficult to overestimate the effect that the flood of 1966 had on the way people still think about Venice. Today the most common opinion, held even by people who know nothing else about Venice, is that it is sinking. Before 1966 this opinion scarcely existed. The devastating flood had cast Venice in an entirely new light.

(emphasis mine)

The flood led to the creation of many charities with the goal of helping to save and preserve Venice, including Venice in Peril and Save Venice, Inc. It also led to the opening of a UNESCO office in Venice.

The cause of the flooding is not agreed upon, though some of the proposed reasons are climate change, increased industry in and around the lagoon, and the creation of the Malamocco Channel in the Lido. There is agreement, though, that the flooding has occurred much more frequently since 1970. Venice has always been prone to floods, but since 1980 it occurs more than 50 times per year.

I'll stop there. Madden goes into some of the proposed solutions to flooding and things that have already been done, but I think the above answers /u/caffarelli's question.

And as for some thoughts on the book overall, I really liked it. It was easy to read and is definitely a general public, high-level history of Venice. If you're looking for something in-depth or focused on a particular area you'll probably want to look elsewhere.

My one critique is that the author seems to be biased in favor of Venice. Madden doesn't seem to criticize Venice much at all and generally offers a very rosy image of the city/republic. The picture painted of Napoleon was also quite negative. The view presented may be highly accurate, but I'm concerned that it is overly biased at times.

I may have located a Middle Formative mound on Google Earth. It's one of several that Phil Weigand wrote about, but only gave vague descriptions of where it was located. It's important because no Middle Formative site has been excavated in the region. We have several Early Formative sites and several Late Formative, but no Middle. I'm waiting to hear back from my advisor on it because he's been itching to excavate a Middle Formative site for awhile now. It'll probably be on the top of our list of things found on Google Earth to check this summer.

Edit: He said it's most likely the one Weigand wrote about. So . . .

Hello all, I like to do some reading about the Roman Military and all its aspects, republic Rome and Post Republic are all good. Can you recommend me anything?

so i checked out a book on the rise and fall of the comanchees called Empire of the Summer Moon By S.C. Gwynne. the author is painting the comanche as heartless bloodthirsty savage barbarians and it just comes off as very dishonest. not sure if i should keep reading this book or not. is there any good books about the comanches i should check out?

Does anyone have any recommendations for books about the French nobility in the 18th century pre-French Revolution? Preferably something that focuses on what daily life was like for them, how they were educated, etc. I've already read Guy Chaussinand-Nogaret's The French Nobility in the Eighteenth Century, which was very informative, but I was wondering if there were others on this subject. Thanks!

Does anyone know of any good books on either the Ottoman Empire (Or any other Middle Eastern nation) or the history of Germany?

Has any one ever read "Tommy life and death on the western front?" If so can you tell me was it simply about day to day life and what life was like in the trenches, or does it also act as an operation history (describing battles and what not)?

If that doesn't pan out, could someone tell me a good history on the British effort in ww1/western front?

Someone would recommend any book on the rise of the intellectual class as we know it now? I read somewhere it started from the zarista Intelligentsia.. Thanks everyone!

Any recommendations for literature on genocide in a more broad sense than just one event?

Would like to recommend to anyone interested in American intellectual or legal history Rethinking the Judicial Settlement of Reconstruction, by Pamela Brandwein (Cambridge, 2011). In a nutshell, she succeeds in moving the line for the end of Reconstruction by a decade. She (humbly, reluctantly) skewers the assumptions of the nearly ubiquitous 'abandonment' narrative. If anyone else has read this book, I would love to discuss it. Also, if you haven't but want to and have a kindle, I may be able to loan it to you for a few weeks (it's a little expensive, but well worth it). This is obviously the work of a very intelligent and insightful legal scholar. What is surprising is that she meets some of the giants of American history on their own turf and (arguably) succeeds. (Though I have a few issues.)