The Gothic Cathedral

About this book

The book, the first original synthesis in English for many years, of the subject, the Gothic cathedral, focuses on the interaction between architectural design and the requirement of patrons, and follows the creative processes of architects by opportunities which actually faced them. The author provides the reader with the essential facts on such aspects as chronology, structural techniques and stylistic development; but he goes further, asking not only "when?" and "how?" but also "why?" - seeing the story as a sequence of choices from which new solutions arose which, in their turn, posed new challenges. A fresh, perceptive and occasionally provocative book, illustrated with carefully chosen photographs and.