Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres Cathedral - Tapa dura

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

"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

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

"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

"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

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.