This beautiful book takes the reader on a journey through Canaletto's native Venice. Through a spectacular group of Canaletto's masterpieces in the National Gallery collection and other works relating to them, the book explores the artist's painting technique and his treatment of the topography of the city. Although Canaletto was considered an objective chronicler, the authors show that his painted views are not simply dispassionate records of buildings and scenes but altered and manipulated depictions that emphasize specific aspects or moods of the city.