HEAVEN ON EARTH (WORLDS GREATEST CATHEDRALS) (PB)

The emergence of the Gothic in twelfth-century France - pointed arches, rib vaults, flying buttresses, large windows and elaborate tracery - triggered an explosion of cathedral-building across western Europe. More than architectural biographies, this book presents human stories of triumph and tragedy that take the reader from the chaotic atmosphere of the mason's yard to the cloisters of power. Together, they reveal how cathedral-building shaped modern Europe, and influenced art, culture and society around the world.