Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres Cathedral - Hardcover

Ball, Philip

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061154296 ISBN 13: 9780061154294

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2008

Synopsis

An architectural history of France's Chartres cathedral offers insight into the role of the gothic cathedral in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Europe, reveals a shift in the way medieval thinkers perceived their relationship with the world, and evaluates the interplay of technology, politics, and religion in the cathedral's construction. 30,000 first printing.

About this title

Review

"A terrific book.A lucid, thoughtful tour de force.A fascinating book with important insights and observations on every page." -- Christian Science Monitor

"Lively...Ball puts the fun back in medieval scholasticism...seems as much at ease on the medieval building site as in an abbey library."--Los Angeles Times

"Ball leaves no stone unturned . . . A revelatory look at a seminal period in art history."--Kirkus Reviews

"There is no better general introduction to the subject... [Ball's] account is bold and plausible."--Wall Street Journal

"Anyone who has been thrilled by the great Gothic cathedrals will revel in this study of both the spiritual and architectural qualities of those medieval wonders."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A terrific book...A lucid, thoughtful tour de force...A fascinating book with important insights and observations on every page."--Christian Science Monitor

"A lively biography of Chartres Cathedral. . . . Ball's account of its construction reveals fascinating details . . . and evokes its raison d'?tre."--The New Yorker

A lively biography of Chartres Cathedral. . . . Ball s account of its construction reveals fascinating details . . . and evokes its raison d ?tre. --The New Yorker"

There is no better general introduction to the subject... [Ball s] account is bold and plausible. --Wall Street Journal"

Lively...Ball puts the fun back in medieval scholasticism...seems as much at ease on the medieval building site as in an abbey library. --Los Angeles Times"

About the Author

Philip Ball's book Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; his Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another won the UK's Aventis Prize. He is a consulting editor for Nature magazine, and he lives in London.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061154296
• ISBN 13: 9780061154294
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 322