Biography Books

Great book for anyone interested in Glenn Gould, music in general, pianos or if you are a piano technician.

Katie Hafner has woven a wonderfully engrossing and engaging story from real life. She makes it seem as if the fates set the lives of a great artist, superb artisans and a masterful technician on an inevitable course of music nirvana. If you love any or all aspects of music - composers and their compositions, players, instrument makers and craftspeople- you can't help but be taken in by this gem of a book.

This book was my first introduction to Glenn Gould, other than a vague familiarity with the name. Hafner's book made me interested in hearing his recordings, now that I have some insight into the musician as well as the character. I enjoyed it as a story, and as a chance to learn far more about the piano as an instrument. Since my wife is a pianist with a couple of 90+ year-old Steinways, I'm finally getting what's involved in rebuilding one of these.

You don't have to be a Gould aficionado to enjoy this read.

I've read at least 5 books on Glenn Gould. I still believe the best biography on Gould came from Otto Friedrich called A life in Variations. I've also read Ostwald's The Ecstacy and Tragedy of Genius, Bazzana's account entitled Wondrous Strange, Andrew Kazdin's Glenn Gould at Work, "Creative Lying", and Rhona Bergman's "The Idea of Gould".

"Romance on Three Legs", takes a different angle in that if focuses primarily on the Piano. I skipped pieces of earlier chapters that had stories in part from the other books and areas that were overused in my opinion since Friedrich published his book. I was more focused on how Gould came to find and treasure CD-318 (Steinway). This is the piano that carried most of his recording career. Hafner does a good job regarding the damage episode that occurred to this Piano and Gould's obsession to get it back to it's former glory which never quite happened. I was most interested in this part of the book as well. Gould sued Steinway years before, due to a worker who allegedly gave him too hard of a handshake. Because of this, Steinway probably gave him lesser than usual service on his behalf. This is also covered.

On the subject of Gould, Hafner does no more than the other authors in my opinion. She covers the same stories, anecdotes. She does cover a bit more on Gould's relationship with a married man's wife, Cornelia Foss. This book is still noteworthy. I'd also recommend "A Life in Variations" and Andrew Kazdin's Book, Glenn Gould at work. Kazdin is brutally honest about the working relationship he had with Gould and also covers an area regarding the damage of CD-318. Hafner does give us much more detail and more account from Verne Edquist, Gould's primary piano tuner and function tweaker. This alone gives the book a bit more credibility in my opinion.

You might think of esteemed pianist Glenn Gould as brilliant but eccentric, but wait until you read about his piano. _A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano_ (Bloomsbury) by Katie Hafner is about the three-legged instrument of Gould's passion, but it also is about a working triad: Gould, his piano, and the tuner who enabled the other two to get along. If you are a Gould fan, this volume can take an esteemed place among the biographies you have already read; it covers Gould's life, but mostly in regard to the instruments he used. The beauty of the book, though, is in those other two parts of the triad. It is quite amazing to read about how pianos get made and how their own personalities affect those who perform on them. It is also great fun to read about an artist in his own right, Verne Edquist, the tuner who was more than just a technician but functioned as an ambassador between the pianist and the piano. Hafner's beautifully balanced and richly detailed book will be good reading even if you don't know much about Gould; it's a pretty sure bet you don't know much about the fascinating world of tuners and pianos she covers here.

Gould was particular about his pianos, needing far more than a standard fine piano. He had a Chickering to practice upon at home, a small grand piano made in 1895. Its keyboard action, its touch, was perfect for him, but he could never perform a concert on it because it was too small and it had a banjo-like twang. It is Steinway CD 318 to which this book is devoted. CD 318 improbably came to birth during the years of World War II, when the Steinway firm's main products had been preempted by the war effort. Verne Edquist was a tuner working for a department store that housed CD318. He was born in 1931, one year before Gould, and had congenital cataracts which rendered him nearly blind, and he went into tuning as one of the traditional trades for blind people. Gould was impressed with the characteristics of CD 318 when he found it, pretty much abandoned at the department store, and he was delighted that Edquist was just as impressed with it. There were other tuners who worked on the piano if Gould was on the road, but the partnership with Edquist was just what Gould needed to continue his astonishing star turn, even after he had soured on public performances and begun concentrating only on recordings. His beloved piano (it was he who called it "a romance on three legs") had everything he needed, just the right touch and just the right sound, as long as Edquist could maintain it. CD 318 is so much a character of this book that it is sad, nay, tragic, that while it was being moved in 1971 it was dropped, giving it wounds from which it could never recover. Gould could not turn his back on his piano, though, and he and Edquist worked on making it playable, although it could no longer meet his standards. It is touching that upon trying the refurbished piano for the first time, he moaned, "This is not my piano. What has happened to my piano? I cannot play it; I cannot use it." He persevered to try to use his wounded instrument, and made recordings on it, but it could not perform the way it had. He had not encountered it when he made his first epochal recording of the _Goldberg Variations_, and when he went back for a second celebrated recording in 1981, CD 318 wasn't an option.

There are plenty of strange stories here about one of the most peculiar and accomplished musicians who ever lived, and some of them have turned up since Kevin Bazzana's terrific biography of Gould, _Wondrous Strange_. The lovely emphasis here, however, is on the triad of pianist, piano, and tuner, making this book a unique three-way biography. When Gould had to go on to other pianos made by Yamaha, he didn't need Edquist as much, and the two drifted apart without any schism; it is a tribute to Edquist's professionalism that he could work for the eccentric genius as long as he did. Gould died in 1982, only fifty. Edquist was called in to help install CD 318 in its permanent home at the National Library, and Gould's estate had stipulated that it can be tuned but cannot otherwise be modified; it is available to visiting performers. A fitting end to this story is that Gould's performance of Bach's _Prelude and Fugue in C_, recorded on CD 318 tuned by Edquist, is part of the recording sent on Voyager 1 in 1997 to the outer reaches of space. "When I heard that," said Edquist, "it was like a dream. There's Bach writing the music, Glenn is playing the music, and it's my tuning that's giving it voice. And it's going somewhere in outer space." Maybe millions of years from now, alien listeners will be amazed at the music; listeners on Earth will enjoy the music all the more after gaining the insights within this delightful book.

I've read several books on Jefferson and this is one of the best. It is reasonably concise and doesn't bore you with long explanations, interpretations, and opinions like some others do, as if they are going to be graded and put in every boring detail they can find for the sake of academicia. However, if you are looking for a book that finally explains, and makes you understand, the "mysterious" character of Thomas Jefferson, the only book I can recommend that does that is "Understanding West Point, Thomas Jefferson, and Leadership of Character" by Norman Thomas Remick.

This book is hard to follow, and written as a suspense book. I really thought this was going to be more of a history type book. I got it to read after I read Jefferson by David McCullough. David is a much better writer.

Very well written. It is interesting and to the point. A good read.

Being from Iceland I have not really had any education on the founding fathers/presidents of the United States. Wanting to enlighten myself I bought a few books on several of the most famous presidents. This book was one of them since it came highly recommended. Not qualified to judge the quality of this book's content compared to other books of Jefferson (since I haven't read any) I can just say that it's a good read. The text is well written and informative, showing both Jefferson's brilliance and flaws (well he was after all human). So if you would like to read about the late president in not too many words (the book is only around 200 pages) I recommend it highly.

Bernstein creates a wonderful launching portal, into the life of Thomas Jefferson, in his short but excellent biography. This is a great starting point for scholars who want to learn more about one of the most influential Founding Fathers. With this biography as foundation, Jefferson's writing, ideas, thoughts and ambiguities can be more deeply explored. Bernstein does the wise biographer approach of allowing Jefferson to emerge from the mystical past without trying to mold him to fit some preconceived notion or ideal. I think every major point that has been written about Jefferson is in this book. Jefferson is such a great symbol of the revolution that changed America and still influences us to this day. Well worth the read and addition to the history shelf.

Once again an astute analysis of the few very grim days in May 1940 when Panzers swept into Western Europe and the British chose a new leader to win the war.

Obviously, it's similar to 'Five Days in London'. The message is similar: The selection of a strong, even though flawed, leader to rally the nation in a time of crisis. The heart of this book is the implied contrast between a leader who promises "blood, toil, tears and sweat" and one who responds with a flippant "let's go to the mall' plea.

Of course, the Brits have an advantage. Instead of suffering four years of incompetence, bragging, folly and hubris, once a failed leader is persuaded to resign the king asks a new leader to form a new government. It doesn't make Lukacs a 'Barack Obama' or 'John McCain' supporter in any sense; there is no mention of current politics in any country. He merely explains a different form of politics.

It marks Lukacs as a great historian with a clear focus on the role of a leader in a democracy. In that, he speaks for all time; his intense focus on Churchill helps explain leadership from the Athens of Pericles to today's world and change we can believe.

My picayune complaint is Lukacs' apparent avoidance of a basic quality of the British (and Americans): their stubborn dedication to fairness. The Munich "appeasement" said Sudeten Germans had a right to be part of Germany (which even Churchill supported); occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia infuriated the British who felt the Czechs and Slovaks had a right to independence.

Britain declared war on Germany because they felt the Royal Navy could blockade Germany into surrender. When this turned out to be an illusion, due to massive imports from the Soviets, new leadership was vital. Besides, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was literally dying on his feet. 'Five Days in London', very worth reading as a companion to this book, examines the infighting to select a new policy and a new leader.

Strangely, he glides over the impact of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbour. The United States declared war on Japan the next day, but not on Germany. Two days later, Hitler declared war on the U.S. If not ... would the U.S. have joined Britain in the European war?

Perhaps this issue will be covered in another volume; Lukacs now has two astute gems analysing the means and impact of Churchill's call to power and greatness. Surely, someone needs to go beyond the Pearl Harbour syndrome and examine the U.S. entry into the European war.

What if Hitler had not declared war on the U.S.? Lukacs has written two gems on the role of Churchill, but what if Roosevelt had not been forced into a European war by the folly of Hitler?

Inquiring minds want to know.

It's a good book to follow other books on Churchill dealing with the years 1935-1942. Otherwise these speeches lose their true significance.

I have received the book, but it has blank pages on page #67, 70, 71, 78, 79, 82, 83, 86, 87, 90, 91, 94, 95, 98 & 99. Think it is probably due to printing/binding errors. Thus I have just requested for a replacement copy from Amazon today.

Few men have used the English language with such grace and to such good ends as Winston Churchill. John Lukacs focuses on the key phrase in Churchill's first speech before Parliament as Prime Minister to provide some wonderful insights into both Churchill's thinking and the nation's state of mind as continental Europe crumbled before the onslaught of Hitler's armies and Britain began to realize it was the last, lone defender of the free world.

Churchill's speech was little appreciated at the time. In fact, the man was himself Prime Minister almost by default. Chamberlain was still the leader of the Conservative Party, Halifax probably could have had the post had he really wanted it since he was the first choice of King George VI, and it was only through Labour's insistence that they would not join a national government unless it was led by Churchill that the question was finally decided. One of the many telling details Lukacs reveals is that Chamberlain was wildly applauded when he entered the House to hear Churchill speak on May 13, 1940; Churchill's entrance was mostly ignored.

The speech was significant, Lukacs says, not so much for its poetry as for what it tells us about Churchill's vision of history as it shaped his leadership both throughout the war and afterward. Early on, Churchill recognized the power of Hitler's war machine and the strength of the German nation. He also had a truly terrifying vision of a world plunged into darkness by the very possible Nazi victory in Europe. The cold, black science of Fascism would mean the end of civilization, and Churchill knew that Britain was at the very beginning of a long, hard struggle whose outcome was far from certain.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

This concise book goes beyond the actual speech of the title and allows for Professor Lukacs' informed and strong views about Prime Minister Churchill's bedrock thinking on the immense issues of civilization that were at stake in 1940.

I think this book will be most enjoyed by those readers having a fair prior understanding of the dismal political realities in Europe and America at the start of World War II.

Chances are, you'll find this book a disappointment if you're not a Foodie. I'm borderline, so the book had it's moments for me. It's fairly repetitive, as if the author wrote chapters independent of each other without making any references back to previous writings. If you live in the NY Metro area (which I do), you'll have a deeper appreciation for the locales and events. You can only mention the Newtown Pippin apple so many times.....

I had such high hopes for this book, but, I was disappointed about 30 pages into it--I had hoped that Stark would talk about the connection to the land, the familial joys of being an accidental farmer, allow the reader to bask in the beauty of heirloom tomatoes, but he didn't. I started to believe that I had heard the best part of the book in his NPR interview. There are moments of beautiful writing, but, it's not consistent. Page after page about sitting in traffic, pulling weeds and remembering tractors begins to wear on any reader, even an interested one. Unless you've got lots of mental time to kill, I wouldn't recommend it!

Heirloom is perhaps best served in the hands of obsessed foodies who crave behind-the-scenes tours of small organic farms, beyond what Food & Wine magazine teases. For gardeners, Heirloom is welcome and amusing company of crazy.

Without pretense or rehearsed narrative, Stark recounts his humble initiations into organic farming (and supplying top chefs in NYC), knowing very little about it, other than what his obsessions demand. His misadventures amuse. It's not perfect writing, yet it is exactly those imperfections that endear this find.

Detours from the narrative will surprise and delight. Unexpected passages include how Mennonite neighbors coach Stark in farming, auction etiquette and small engine repair. (The last paragraph in that chapter is especially moving.) And vignettes give depth and color to an unlikely cast of characters who help Stark plant, pick, sell and save his crops. Best of all, Stark unearths a family history that gives context and perhaps motivation to his madness. While it is all true, it reads like fiction, a story that you'll surely recommend and remember.

A fantastic late-summer read and welcome winter remedy for gardening/foody obsessives that crave the first signs of Spring.

I enjoyed this book. It's a quick read, well-written, very personal. If you're interested in knowing more about the reasons a person might become an heirloom tomato farmer when the economic indicators for such a major life change are all negative, read this book. The perils of small-farming are apparent, but somehow, so are the joys. I read the book on a day when I should have been working my own tomatoes, but we've had a rough year and I needed a break. This was it, so I have to say "Thank you Tim!"

Being interested in one day changing careers from financial industry to the vegetable industry, I could identify with the author. This is really a "How To" book on starting an Heirloom vegetable business, only written in a storytelling fashion. Every chapter exudes the author's passion.

I have 2 nephews that are very close brothers. I got this book for them because they had been fighting alot. One plays sports and the other had major surgery and cant play for awhile. This book helped them understand their situation and they help each other now all the time. IT IS GREAT!

I read this book about two brothers side by side. They do a lot of sports like Football and baseball. The next day they went with a friend and then Ronde biked up the mud and he broke his leg. Rondes leg healed and then he was able to play sports. They played Football at a middle school stadium. The Football game was going to begin at night. At the end of the game they won.
I liked this book a lot. I liked this book because it was a nice story about two brothers side by side working together.

Perfect choice for young footballer - the Barber twins are wonderful people.

My grandson loved this book! He has a younger brother and it was nice to see him read it to him.

If this book were any sweeter it would cause cavities.

I bought this book for my 7 year old and I think I like it more than he does.

Tiki and Ronde demonstrate how they work together off the football field when Tiki injures his leg one summer. Their brotherly bond helps Tiki to wait out his injury and eventually make it back to the playing field better than ever.

Football is a side note to the themes of patience, endurance, doing the right thing (Homework!), and overcoming what seem to be insurmountable odds.

I hope they write more books like this one.

The Army of Northern Virginia possessed more than its' share of large than life figures. Some of them have become American icons, while the balance is familiar to the Civil War community. Their images grace our artwork, books, and stamps or are the subject of movies.
James Earl Brown Stuart is one of these larger than life figures. Commander of Lee's cavalry, Stuart trained and motive these men into a dominate force. He personally led them into numerous fights both large and small. At Antietam, his placement of guns on the army's left helped breakup Union attacks. At Chancellorsville, he shielded Jacksons march and on Jackson's being wounded, Stuart took command. His attack reunited the wings of the army giving Lee a unified line and contributing to Hooker's withdrawal. Stuart's decisions during the Gettysburg Campaign are debated to this day and contributed to Lee's army being defeated. During his life, the press lionized and vilified Stuart, depending on his latest action. He was a man of great contradictions. A very competent officer but ambitious to a fault. Considered fair, he was known to be a good hater. His ambitions and personal feelings about people overruled his good judgment at times. A religious man with strong family ties and a good marriage, he sought the company of young women and flirted with them. This caused limited problems in his marriage. JEB Stuart is a fascinating subject with an interesting complex life.
Jeffery Wert is one of our better authors. He combines a very easy to read style with an in-depth knowledge of the subject. His biography of James Longstreet is consider one of the best on the man. Wert captures the complexities and contradictions that make up Stuart's personality. He has the background to understand and explain Stuart's contribution to the war. Wert is neither enamored with nor critical of Stuart. He presents both the good and bad points in a fair manner allowing the reader to judge. On questions of judgment, Wert presents the facts and shows us why Stuart may have done as he did. The results of Stuart's actions are presented fairly without excuses or accusations.
This is an excellent book! It finds the balance between readability and scholarship. The result is an informative read that is fun too. In addition to a biography of Stuart, the reader gets a view of cavalry operations during the war. I am not a great reader of biographies. However, this is a military and personal history of a major player in the Army of Northern Virginia.

I bought this book for my boyfriend and he LOVED the book, of course his sense of humor is close to the authors, but if you like the author you'll love the book!

I was standing in the bookstore aisle plucking books from the shelves and flipping pages when I came across 'Magical Thinking' and this line, "The year I snuck an interracial lesbian couple into the background of an American Airlines ad..." I read some more. I could have read the entire book while standing there. But, my whooping laughter would have disturbed my fellow readers. Burroughs puts on paper what most folks block from conscious thought. He presents such a can't-make-this-stuff-up life that one moment you don't believe it, then you wish you had been there to see it. Ever been intimidated by a cleaning lady-cum-personal assistant? Meet Debby. Ever fought a rodent or a roach in a NYC apartment? Meet the Mouse. Reading the stories will make you late for work, burn your dinner and ignore the kids fighting at your elbow. The writer has a rich talent for self-conflagration, as well as burning others with his wit. If there is a downside to this work, it's that all the boyfriends (except Dennis) seem to be the same beautiful-bodied man with slight variations. Warning: If the "f" word or descriptions of the male anatomy offend you, don't even pick up this book. After reading his caustic commentaries on his failed dates, I enjoyed the tender turn he takes in vignettes of his domestic relationship with Dennis. Dennis is the normal, stable part of the partnership. Burroughs remains dramatic and, well, crazy.

If you enjoy his writing, you will enjoy this one. It made me laugh out loud and giggle after wards.

I enjoyed "Dry" and "Running" very much, but I laughed more reading this one. I read "Beating Raoul" out loud to friends and we all cracked up. Funny chapters throughout.

Augusten Burroughs does not come across as what you'd call a "nice person," but he's so very honest, funny, and sometimes self-deprecating that the reader can't help being on his side, as he battles a crazy cleaning lady, kills a mouse in his tub, and moves in and out of quasi-relationships with gorgeous, but unsuitable men. And frankly, he appeals to that deep, dark, mean corner we all have suppressed inside, that place where we want to make a snide comment about someone's fatt butt or stupid hairdo. I adore how he hated sickeningly perfect Raoul on their first date, and his description of his schoolteacher in the opening chapter was a delight.

When Dennis enters the picture, we see Augusten's tender side, his appreciation for another's vulnerability, and we start to think perhaps Augusten has been holding out on us, letting us see only his vanity/insecurity polarity, his delayed-reaction remorse for mouse-killing and child-frightening, keeping this kinder Augusten hidden until the time is right.

While reading this book, I couldn't help thinking that I'd love to have him over for dinner, but I wouldn't let him babysit my child.

Augusten Burroughs is a great writer and enigmatic presence on the literary scene.

Have only read a small amount so far, but already would rate it very good and something all americans should read.

It's a shame that the public has to dig for the truth rather than rely on the press to be honest, but that's the situation. If you really want to know what was going on rather than buy into the juvenile theory that this was somehow all about W's oil buddies, this is a great start.

This is an important book that every American should read. Gen Sada is an amazing man, an eye-witness in Saddam's regime who lived to tell about it and claims to have actually seen WMD with his own eyes. Fascinating!

I enjoyed the information in the book. Poorly written but never the less informative

Finally, the inside scoop! Questions of WMD answered! Why isn't this information made more readily available to the American People? This is a story of one man's faith and honesty in the worst of situations! You want to know the truth? Read this book!!

Sickened is a story displaying the depth of a child's love for her mother and the strength it took to ultimately break away and save herself. I will not give away the story. It is enough to say this is a very interesting, well written book.

The book was a very easy/quick read. The stories are heart breaking and tragic but good information for others to know. It is hard to imagine a mother like the one in the book but there are a lot of very sick people in the world that pass for 'normal.' Good to know that the author made it out and is recovering from the trauma.

It amazes me that this was allowed to go on as long as it did. Doctors, Nurses etc.. Just sad, and this is far from an isolated case, my heart goes out to this girl who is now a woman and I hope she has been able to truly put this behind her, but I'm not sure that is possible. Children are innocents and need protection, just sad.

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down! It really showed how this disease affected one family. The pictures in the book made it all very real!

Horrible story and yet inspiring that this little girl who suffered such abuse and missed so much valuable education came out the other side to become an educated, talented writer, and a normal, healthy person.

I've taught an interdisciplinary course entitled "Cathedrals and Other Great Churches of Medieval Europe" a dozen times (twice in England), had Malcolm Miller as a guest lecturer (and tour guide at Chartres in one of my three visits there) and Peter Gibson of the York Minster Stained Glass Workshop as a guest lecturer (and tour guide at York Minster twice), visited more than a hundred medieval and renaissance great churches, and read at least parts of more than half of the books and articles listed in the seven-page bibliography of this book, and, in my judgment, no other book comes close to this one in providing real insight into understanding the great medieval churches. For my course, I used a reader I developed comprising excerpts from dozens of different books to give my students the breadth of ideas, opinions and knowledge needed to understand these great churches. Like many other compilations it suffered from wide variations in the "voices" of the various authors and from unevenness in coverage of the diverse subjects that students needed to grasp the significance of these monuments. I dreamed that some day I would have the time and energy to assemble a coherent anthology -- maybe one with a title like: "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Medieval Churches . . ." but, alas, retirement reared its ugly head and the motivation to do so disappeared. Now, however, Philip Ball has fulfilled my dream, and although he has done so in the context of a single great church, much of what he has written is applicable to most of them. His book makes me wish I hadn't retired so I could use it as a text. Not every reader will understand all of the nuances of the many subjects Ball covers in this book, but every reader with any interest in medieval churches will find this wonderfully well-written book to be not only a fascinating read but also a great addition to his or her library.

While I've read many books on Romanesque and Gothic architecture, and have visited Chartres, I've always been frustrated by the lack of information available about the actual people who created the monuments. What a pleasure to finally find a book that focuses both on the intellectual movements that fueled the Gothic age, and the clergy and builders who were instrumental in the creative process.

While the book is excellent and well-written, I refrained from giving it five stars only because I think a reader would benefit from additional sources highlighting architectural details and comparisons with other cathedrals.

The author sets the bar high: a book that describes the design and building of the cathedral at Chartres while putting it into the context of medieval philosophy, theology, technology, science, politics and economy. In theory a laudable goal, but in practice a muddle. This reader was alternately bogged down in overly-long and involved chapters discussing the differences between scholastic Platonists and Aristotelians and disappointed that there wasn't more about the cathedral itself. Ball is a journalist who has obviously done his homework -- there's an extensive, multi-page bibliography and he quotes from dozens of experts -- but in the end this feels like a well-written overview of other people's writings on the subject, rather than an original look by a writer with any strong convictions himself. About halfway through this book I had the nagging thought I would have done better by re-reading Thomas Cahill's lively "Mysteries of the Middle Ages" and my nephew's illustrated copy of David Macaulay's "Cathedral." There's no shortage of wonderful books on Chartres and the building of the cathedrals and the curious reader should consider them seriously before investing in this book.

Why would someone write a biography of a BUILDING? Well, if you've ever been to Chartres Cathedral about 45 miles south-west of Paris, you'd know why. Chartres continues to provoke us with its emotive power, and its place in the history of Gothic architecture is firmly secured at "page 1" in our texts. That's why it was so exciting when we found out that there was a new treatment of Chartres being released this summer, and many reviewers, including those at The Economist and The Financial Times, took time to present the book to their reading audiences worldwide.

Ball's treatise on Chartres is a truly wonderful additional to the evolving library of Gothic. As a person who is familiar with the literature, I can easily say that his work here will make possible the introduction of this topic to an entirely new generation of people who are captivated by this most evocative of art forms. Ball has done what can be classified as nothing less than a superb job of collating, digesting, and then restating in clear, meaningful words the voluminous amount of material that is available on the subject. And this is no small task: the topic is the subject of attention of everyone from mechanical engineers, masonry experts, art historians, medieval historians, and even education historians. Most of these works are undeniably fascinating and tremendously enjoyable to read. But you will find yourself having to put on your "engineer's hat" to read Heyman's The Stone Skeleton: Structural Engineering of Masonry Architecture, then put on your "art historian's hat" to read Coldstream's Medieval Architecture (Oxford History of Art), and your "photographer's hat" to read Schultz's Great Cathedrals. There are dozens and dozens more books still on the open market just like these, and they all play an important role in helping us further understanding this fascinating topic. But Ball's book deftly summarizes and explicates many of the major themes of this content, and allows us to absorb it all in one text. I must confess that the book exceeded any expectations I had, and I am thoroughly impressed.

Ball's book covers far more than the physical elements of Chartres cathedral. We peer into the world of medieval scholasticism and Platonic thought in the cathedral schools of the 12th century to investigate what role, if any, such thought had on the development of the Gothic style. We read about Chartres' predecessor building, St. Denis basilica, just north of Paris, and the impact Suger had on this form there, and consider the potential linkages between these structures. We also take a quick course on medieval construction techniques, and listen to some of the hypotheses which engineering architects have devised to explain how such buildings could be constructed without electricity or power tools. We see how stained glass was manufactured, why the blue windows of Chartres are so unusual, and even hypothesize that "Chartres blue" may have been imported from other glass foundries outside of France. We also review the varying theories of the sequence of Chartres' construction that may explain its physical irregularities (for example, was the building constructed from east-to-west, or from west-to-east, and why are there "mismatches" between sections of the structure?).

There is much, much more. But all along the way, we are provided a wonderful, comprehensive introduction to the times, history, and settings of that "vulgar style called 'Gothic,'" which is regarded as one of the pinnacles of architectural and artistic achievement. If you are a Gothic enthusiast, get this book to enjoy and savor, the first new book on the subject in some time. But also buy a copy for a friend. There is probably no better way to introduce Chartres cathedral and Gothic architecture to a new generation of enthusiasts.

Philip Ball's "Universe of Stone: A Biograpahy of Chartres Cathedral" seeks to explore and explain the philosophical roots of a society and culture that produced Chartres Cathedral, an archtypical masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Balls himself admits the hurdles he faced: "Arguably, then, it is a foolhardy eneavour to say anything about 'why' Chartres Cathedral was built, which in the end what this book attempts to do. But to my mind, it is only by confronting that question that we can fully experience what this most extraordinary, most inspiring building has to offer."

Ball is inevitably limited in his efforts by the lack of extensive detailed records from that distant era, as well as by the profound differences in our perceptions of the world than those held by people of the 11th and 12th centuries.

The first half of "Universe of Stone" is especially challenging to the reader as the author lays out the background to the medieval mind: Aristotle and Plato and Augustine and Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter Abelard and the rise of Neo-Platonist philosophy with its emphasis on rational order. The pace of the book's narrative picks up when practical matters of design and finance and construction are considered, with the author citing records of numerous other Gothic building projects to explain what must have happened at Chartres. Along the way, Ball addresses and discards many popular myths, such as the design of the Cathedral incorporating mystical knowledge and that cathedral-building was a manifestation of popular civic enthusiasm.

The attentive reader of "Universe of Stone" will be rewarded with a better understanding of the medieval mind as well as the practical realities of constructing such marvelous buildings.