144 GUIDE TO THE ACADEMY AT VENICE

One copy of the 1891 edition was printed on hand-made paper, with rough edges and white cover; this is in Mr. Wedderburn’s possession.

The author did not revise the text, but several alterations were made by the editor to suit the rearrangement of the pictures (see below). The “Publisher’s Note” is as follows:-

“PUBLISHER’S NOTE

“SINCE the first publication of this Guide, the arrangement of the rooms and pictures in the Academy of Venice has been entirely altered. The numbers of the pictures are no longer consecutive throughout the gallery, but begin afresh in every room; and many pictures referred to as being in particular positions have been differently hung. Whilst, however, it is no longer quite so convenient to take the now differently arranged pictures in the order followed by this Guide, Mr. Ruskin is unable to recast the text. That being so, this edition of the Guide has been brought up to date by a careful correction of all the reference numbers, and by a revision of the text so far as it related to the position of pictures. A few footnotes [indicated by brackets] have been added, as at p. 5, to enable the visitor to look at the pictures referred to without having to retrace his steps oftener than need be. A list of the pictures referred to in both parts of the Guide, showing the different rooms in which they are to be found, follows this note, while at the end is added an alphabetical index. With the help of these two lists, the visitor can go through the rooms in their order, without having to pass twice over the same ground, and he can also see at a glance whether any picture in the Academy is or is not mentioned in the Guide.”

An Italian translation (1901) by Maria Pezzè Pascolato, occupies pp. 226-271 of the volume entitled Venezia, which is more fully described in the Bibliographical Note upon St. Mark’s Rest (below, p. 198). The translator’s “Avvertenza” is on pp. 227, 228; Part I., pp. 229-245; Part II., pp. 245-264; Appendix, pp. 264-271. A translation of part of Fors Clavigera, Letter 71, on the legend of St. Ursula, follows, pp. 272-277. The editor supplies several notes, and gives corrected references to rooms and pictures.

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Variæ Lectiones.-Between eds. 1 and 2 there are only two variations in the text, and these (as already stated) were also made in some later copies of ed. 1. On p. 149 (here), ed. 2 had the following words above the title:-

“NOTE.-This Guide, if bought at the Porter’s table, may conveniently be begun at the top of page 5 [i.e., the lower part of p. 150, here.]

The words “In the first place ... above it” were omitted, and the Guide began thus: “Over the entrance gate of the Academy are three ...” This alteration was followed in ed. 3, but the Note was transferred to a separate page. On p. 163 (here), the footnote in the first impression of the first edition ended with the words “my agent in Venice.”

The alterations between eds. 2 and 3 are numerous; but as they were not made by Ruskin, and as they were introduced only to suit a rearrangement which has itself passed away, it does not seem necessary to enumerate them all. Two instances will serve as examples. On p. 151 (here), lines 20 to 33 (“anybody’s heart”) were omitted from the text and placed in a footnote, with the prefatory remark, “In former editions of this Guide the following passage was given here, but the position of the picture is happily changed.” On p. 157, line 15, the words “but in general mere Dutch rubbish” were similarly consigned to a footnote.

In this volume (as explained in the Introduction, p. xlviii.) the text is that of the First Edition. On p. 182, however, in Ruskin’s second footnote, the words “in the Eighteenth Century,” which have hitherto followed “Original Documents relating to Venetian Painters and their Pictures,” have been omitted. They were clearly an error. Cheney’s collection of documents (privately printed in 1873) has no title-page. On p. 188, line 12 of the note, the reference is corrected from Luke “viii.” to “vii.”]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]