The First Ghetto

“Fascinating...an engrossing tale of cruel prejudice and resilience...Bravo.”—Times (UK)

“Remarkable...a rollercoaster history.”—Jewish Chronicle

“In this fascinating history...Lee conjures up the Adriatic seaport in all its strange glory…This admirable book offers a poignant testimony to a people who have approached annihilation many times.”—Spectator (UK)

“A stunning account of a dark history...magnificent.”—Irish Times

“An important and timely book.”—Daily Telegraph (UK)

“A sweep­ing and ambi­tious his­to­ry that chal­lenges many of the assump­tions this sub­ject invites….Rather than trac­ing a straight line from exclu­sion to cat­a­stro­phe, Lee recon­structs a far more con­tin­gent and unsta­ble his­to­ry, fol­low­ing its evo­lu­tion through cycles of cri­sis, adap­ta­tion, and rein­ven­tion across the centuries….For read­ers won­der­ing how such things hap­pen, and keep hap­pen­ing, this book is an essen­tial and unset­tling place to begin.”

“…incisive new book, The First Ghetto, an engaging and illuminating account of six hundred years of Jewish history in Venice.”

“More than a history of a city, the book is a chronicle of a condition, an elegy for Jewish life lived in the paradox of family flourishing and civic exclusion....A richly researched history of Italian Jewry and its will to live on.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A splendid account, whose vitality, resourcefulness, and variety of detail will make it hard to rival.”—Literary Review (UK)

“Brilliantly researched and deeply moving, this history of the Jews of Venice makes a significant and much needed contribution to the city’s story.”—Roger Crowley, author of 1453

“The First Ghetto is the most accessible history of this renowned Venetian quarter. Alexander Lee combines expertise in Venetian history with sensibility to the Jewish past and a gift for storytelling. Highly recommended.”—Miri Rubin, author of The Middle Ages

“Embattled and persistent, the Jewish community of Venice played a fascinatingly rich role in the city’s cultural and economic life. In Alexander Lee, they have found their true and elegant historian.”—Judith Mackrell, author of The Unfinished Palazzo

“Rich, absorbing, and so beautifully written.”—Nadeem Aslam, Booker-longlisted author of The Golden Legend