How to Build a Cathedral

Gothic cathedrals are monuments to God, witnesses to the historic power of the Church, and symbols of the faith of the thousands of believers who contributed to their creation. They are also astonishing feats of construction and engineering, from a period before steel-making, machine tools and computer simulation; breathtaking in their scale and grandeur even hundreds of years after the religious impulse that produced them has largely faded away. How to Build a Cathedral is a visual exploration of the building of these masterpieces, from the initial groundplan to the topping out of the spire. Illustrated throughout with beautiful engravings, it looks at each element of the structure in turn, explaining the process of construction and the methods that were used. At intervals though the book, special gatefold pages offer a detailed snapshot of the evolution of the building as it rises into the heavens. A 16-page colour section allows for appreciation of stained glass and decorative stonework. With text written by a leading architectural historian, How to Build a Cathedral is an illuminating portrait of the genius of the medieval architect.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Ground Plans Foundations Walls Buttresses Roofs Towers and Spires Stonework Doors and Windows Ornament Further Reading Index Acknowledgments

About the Author :
Malcolm Hislop is an independent archaeological consultant with over 30 years' experience in the investigation and interpretation of historic buildings. He read history and archaeology at the University of Nottingham, where he developed a special interest in medieval buildings, and where he subsequently completed a PhD thesis based around the architectural works of the 14th-century master builder, John Lewyn of Durham. He writes regularly about medieval buildings for the academic journals, and has a particular curiosity about the process of design and construction in the Middle Ages. His publications include Medieval Masons (2000 and 2010) and John Lewyn of Durham: A Medieval Mason in Practice (2007).

Review :
A beautiful book... a volume that can confidently be recommended to anyone seriously interested in architecture or church history. Following on from the wildly successful Ken Follett novel and television series, this book tells us everything we need to know about how the great cathedrals of the Gothic age were built. Broken into sections - building walls, raising the roof, shaping the stone - and with many useful illustrations, this is a wonderful examination of what it takes to achieve high art and transcendent beauty.