France Books

This is a beautiful book, lavishly produced on fine paper, with 46 colored plates and many black and white photos. This is the story of Ami Argand, inventor of the greatly improved oil lamp in 1780. Argand lived an interesting life, and knew some of the main characters in the industrial revolution, such as James Watt, Matthew Boulton, and the Montgolfier brothers. His story had been mostly forgotten, though, and Wolfe has done the world some good in bringing it back to life.

The lamp Argand patented was actually an important invention. It was no small thing to bring a much improved, cheaper source of light to the homes and shops of an industrializing West. The Argand lamp became the standard configuration until about 1850 when the kerosene lamp more or less replaced it. Many of them were real works of art, eagerly sought by collectors today. They were more or less on the edge of what could be mass produced at the time, and Argand experienced many trials and tribulations in bringing it to market. Even the renowned Boulton factories had trouble producing them.

This is a wonderful tale of the Industrial Revolution, and I much enjoyed it. Thank you Mr. Wolfe!

Tremendous book. Beautifully researched and filled with staggering illustrations. I bought it as a reference as I collect lamps. As a reference and piece of scholarship it ranks with the work of Florence Montgomery, John Bivens and Catherine Lynn. What was the most pleasant surprise is that it is beautifully and compellingly written. A truly fascinating story of a fascinating man who lived during a fascinating era. No serious collector of lighting or 18-19th century decorative object should be without this work. Any major decArts library would be remiss not to own it. At $59.95 it is probably underpriced.

John Wolfe portrays the poignant story of a brilliant, gentle, and naive 18th century inventor, Ami Argand. Wolfe's exhaustive research rewards the reader with an intimate view into the life and thinking of Argand and other 18th century luminaries. This book engages your sense of histroy, science, intrigue, and lighting. I really enjoyed it.

An invention of an oil lamp has revolutionized the world. Finally, a lamp has been created that produced a good light without the annoying smoke that has plagued the social life of people over thousands of years. The value of the inventions is immediately recognized and the demand for the new lamp is overwhelming. A commercial opportunity of enormous proportion has emerged. Can a single person protect his invention and satisfy the demand for the new light against the competitive spirit of free market? It is the year 1784, the rumblings of the French Revolution, of the Napoleon wars, and of restructuring of the social systems are not yet heard. It is the time of technical innovations. The steam engine has already advanced manufacturing industry and the dream to conquer the air has just become a reality, the balloon of the Montgolfier brothers graces the sky. John J. Wolfe's book provides an initiate picture of Ami Argand, the Genevese citizen who perfected distilleries for Brandy, invented the two-air draft burner for oil lamps, and assisted the Montgolfiers in flying balloons. Its is a also the story of greed, deceit and unhappiness, and a story of an unfortunate hero and of successful villains. For the first time, an authoritative account is given for the life of Argand; a brilliant scientist who is immortalized by his invention, the Argand lamp, but also a person who sought recognition and wished to persevere in business. The combination of a spell binding story and never published pictures of early lighting promotes this book as a must for students of history, technology and lighting.

I have lived and traveled in Africa a great deal. I recently acquired a copy of Maria Petringa's book
on Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza and thoroughly enjoyed it. What a fascinating man. This book would make a great movie and I would hope somebody in the industry would pick it up and do just that. It is a good book and I highly recommend reading it. Pat Clark

I took the book along on a short rest and relaxation trip, which was all the more enjoyable because of the time I spent on the Brazza adventure. I knew that the story of Brazza's Central Africa explorations would be interesting but Maria Petringa's excellent account of the man and his mission was engaging and a delightful reading experience.

As I enjoy reading historic accounts of charismatic figures who blaze trails, both geographically and politically, I found Maria Petringa's book highly informative and very entertaining. It is also relevant to the volatility of today's geopolitical climate.

This biography of Pierre de Brazza gives us an inspiring portrait of a very good man in a very bad time, the age of European colonialism in Africa. Brazza, who explored and administered French Equatorial Africa at the end of the 19th century, tried desperately to civilize the colonialists' treatment of the African natives. He ultimately failed, though his ideals and efforts are inspiring. His failure shows, however, that the "heart of darkness" was not an aberration, that colonial exploitation of Africa was incurably corrupt and cruel, for the French as for the Belgians. Reading this book dispels any lingering sentimentality for this enterprise, provides the reader with a fascinating portrait of an important though (at least in the English-speaking world) largely forgotten man,
and gives us a devastating picture of nineteenth-century imperialism. "Brazza, A Life for Africa" is hard to put down.

Finally a book that sticks to its title. This book is an awsome start to knowing what goes into a small business and certainly brings out more information and details that will guide you to resourses that will better further your small business.

Well orgainized, not boring and inviting, Yes this very informative but simple layout helps me Understand the material and makes me feel ocnfident i'm learning what I need to know.

Thanks for the book and I will be sure to buy other books from the Series...

Brian

I am teaching a course on entrepreneurship...this book is the answer to all my prayers!!! We've worked and worked on putting our book together and we finally finished it. I went to the library, saw this book and I didn't put it down until I was done...THE BEST!!!

Good Book. You thinking about starting your own business, get this book, trust me.

If you're a bare-bones newcomer to the business world and seek a basic introduction to all the concepts, from business plans and marketing to the law, then Frances McGuckin's Business For Beginners: From Research And Business Plans To Money, Marketing And The Law is for you. McGuickin is a small business expert and consultant, and shares her strategies for developing a small business using seven basic skills and seven reasons businesses fail. Checklists and boxed information sets abound.

If you're looking for the perfect book to make you laugh - and cry - then you just have to read By Bread Alone. I promise you you won`t be able to put it down. A beautifully written story about Emse and her seemingly idyllic lifestyle, Sarah-Kate Lynch has created a delicious recipe to tug at your heartstrings. She has the gift of transporting you to other times and places and I swear I could actually taste the freshly baked bread as she was describing it! A treat for all the senses.

I have heard dozens of great comments about this book but had put off reading it because I am a bit of a book snob, and thought it sounded pretty lightweight. When I went to hospital last week, I thought it would be the perfect read - nothing too challenging. In fact, it WAS the perfect read - totally gripping, believable (well...nearly!), very, very funny, and a real tearjerker. I was fascinated by the house (and even more so when I read that it actually exists), felt real compassion for all the characters - even crusty old father in law.

I am trying to think of any criticisms to make about it, and failing. I read the other reviews, and am really surprised that one of the reviewers found it so poorly edited. The author has certainly been generous with the adjectives, but not in a way that detracts from the story at all.

Read it yourself - I am now reading Sarah Kate Lynch's "Eating with the Angels" and enjoying it just as much. Must go to hospital again soon - it's great for my reading!

New Zealand author Sarah-Kate Lynch has come up with a quirky, original, touching charmer of a book about an English wife and mother who is anything but ordinary.

Esme Stack makes sourdough bread every day of her life, and its texture, aroma and "ambience," if you will, measures out her days. But when the book opens, Esme cannot bring herself to bake her bread, something she has been doing for decades. Her husband Pog (Hugo) is worried sick; her irrascible and nasty father-in-law Henry is secretly worried, and her divinely unique 4-year-old son Rory is not right at all.

As the story unfolds in delightfully fey meetings between Esme and her deceased Grandmother (you have to read it to believe it) and in flashbacks to the past, it gradually becomes clear that Esme and Pog have had a great tragedy: one that is barking at the heels of Esme's sanity. But what? On the outside, Esme is a ferociously organized housewife, baker, artist, nurturer of sick and lame animals (the bits about the donkey are hilarious). We know she once had a career, but not why she left it. We know she is holding something terrible at bay, but not what it is.

The gradual breaking of Esme's shell of protection is heartbreaking in its intensity and almost joyous in its resurrection of her soul.

This is simply a fabulous book. I am looking forward to reading "Blessed Are the Cheesemakers," by the same author! What a find!

Esme, a former London magazine editor and now stay-at-home mom, lives in the country with her husband, Pog, her son Rory, her very crabby father-in-law, Henry and the enigmatic Granny Mac, the grandmother who has been Esme's only family since her mother committed suicide when Esme was a teenager. They live in a very unusual house--a former water tower converted to a house in the style of a dovecote, five narrow floors topped by a larger living space. 79 stairs to climb from top to bottom! At first glance their lives appear idyllic. Esme begins each day baking her own sourdough bread and the family thrives on it. But in reality they are all dealing, in their own dysfunctional ways, with a tradedy that befell them two years earlier. Lynch has done a superb job of bringing the reader into this family's story and while the ending is very satisfactory, you won't want to leave the characters.

This book is a scholarly account of the history and culture of the Celts, from the earliest archeological evidence in the iron-age Hallstatt culture circa 800 BCE, To the Norman invasion of Britain under William the Conqueror in 1066. The authors discuss the mysterious origins of the Celts using place-names as a guiding demographic to trace their principle routes of migration and their established settlements. The book then goes on further to discuss the formation, structure and the bodies of independent Celtic kingdoms, of Gaul, Britain, Wales, Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. Of particular interest is the changing and reforming political and social change which occurred in Britain following the withdrawal of Roman governance C. 4-500 CE. The fifth chapter on Irish secular institutions gives an interesting account of a Gaelic society, its inherited laws, the class based structure, customs and dress, festivals, and the organization of time. All of this is done in comparison with the Welsh system, but interestingly draws many parallels with Indo-European culture, particularly the Vedic and Hindu codes of law.

The 6th chapter outlines the structure and organization of the early modern Celtic kingdoms, providing information on the Pictish tribes and the Dal Riata, Irish incursions and influence in Scotland, the development of the Celtic Welsh and their relations with the Saxons, and overall the influence of the Viking and Nordic raids and settlements throughout the Western Gaelic communities. This period history spans from the 5-6th CE to the late 9th, leading up to the invasion of the Normans at Hastings in 1066. The remaining chapters examine Celtic culture from the perspective of literature, myths, language, religion and art.

I chose this book because I wanted a broad but academic and scholarly account of Celtic history, its formation, structure, people and culture. This volume fulfills all of those criteria, but it was certainly not a `casual' read, indeed it took me several weeks to digest and may properly be used as a reference and source of information rather than leisurely perusal. Both authors are renowned and respected academics, Myles Dillon having been the senior professor at the Dublin Institute, and professor of Celtic studies at Wisconsin, Chicago, and Edinburgh universities. Nora Chadwick is a veteran lecturer at Cambridge University and Newham and Girton Colleges. Celtic Realms is written with an absolutely serious attention to detail, woven together and cross-referenced in the true tradition of Celtic knot-work, and is perhaps the result of several years dedicated study and research. It belongs in the library of any reader with more than a passing interest in Celtic history, and itself provides a student with valuable resources.

What I enjoyed most about this book were the accounts of literature and arts, where the authors bring the voice and actions of the Celtic people to life. The study of any history can be susceptible to a dry and flaky recount, yet Dillon and Chadwick have cleverly avoided such a downslide by depicting the passion, ingenuity, creativity, artistic beauty and linguistic enchantments of individuals who lived so many years ago.

I've had a few people recommend this book to me over the years, and finally sat down to read it when a friend brought it in to work for me. I went out and bought my own copy the next day.

This is an excellent book and is surprisingly current, especially considering that it was first published nearly 40 years ago. Chadwick and Dillon were definitely ahead of their time. I may have been reluctant in the past to crack this book open due to the vast amount of chaff that I have tried to digest from several of their contemporaries.

This book covers most of the topics in Celtica - prehistory, history, culture, language, kingdoms - with a heavy focus on the Celtic literature. Some great insights, definitely a useable research work.

Doesn't say a whole lot about the Druids, but match this up with Ellis' "Celtic Empire", "The Celts" and "The Druids"; Gregory's "Complete Irish Mythology"; Guest's "The Mabinogion"; and Hutton's "Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles",
and you have an excellent all-round introduction to the Celts in general and to the Druids in particular.

Most of us are interested, to some extent, in history, and Celtic history captures the interest of a consistently increasing number of us. There's so much wonder, beautiful visual and literary art, and mystery to the ancient Celts.

But amid the work published on the Celts, there is much that is superficial or based on inaccurate traditions (too often English traditions misinterpreting true Celtic realities). I've found some of the latter, as well as some much better sources, and this ranks as the best among them. The scholarly research that went into this book is very strongly apparent; it is as deep as it needs to be. But it is surprisingly accessible as well. The writers know how to speak good, understandable language rather than Academese. Also present is a large amount of actual material. Many similar volumes only present the ideas and conclusions of the writers, while not bothering to provide the reader with much source material. Here, though, you'll find some excellent pictures, fine paraphrases of many Celtic stories, and even a good selection of actual Celtic words, poetry and inscription in the original language, as well as translation. Other writers give us precious few actual Old Welsh and Old Irish words, but these authors realize that most of us will never have easy access to the old texts.

All in all, as a lay reader, if you want intelligent research which gives you a fair amount of familiarity with important ancient mechanisms like art, language and poetry styles, with a fine record of the important points of history, you'll be hard-pressed to find it in a more accessible form. I'd number this among my ten most important books.

This Dillon and Chadwick masterwork was first printed in 1967 and still stands as a significant work. Some writers of books on the Celts that have been printed over the past twenty years would have benefited if they had consulted this book.
Its discussions of the origins of the Celts are fair-minded and the authors do not rush the reader to conclusions that cannot be with our present state of knowledge and were somewhat ahead of their time in pushing back the origins of the Celtic period further than what is usually presented in other works.
For the beginner it is not always an easy read but it is still approachable and the determined beginner would do well in reading this book as their first introduction to the history of the Celts.
The author's use of the Celtic bardic texts is commendable for they introduce the information they contain yet minimize them as far as being a reliable source of fact and history.
Explored are accounts of the Celts by the Classical world as well as a discussion of the first traces of the Celtic language. Social and religious aspects of the early Celts are also touched on.
Most of the book concentrates on the historical Celts of the British Isles. Their study of the religion, art and literature of the Celts of the British Isles is masterful.
A good companion to this book is Barry Cunliffe's "The Ancient Celts."

A good read for anyone who followed cycling in the late 80s and 90s. This makes the struggle of stage racing a very human experience - what an incredible talent Indurain was!

The inevitable comparisons are legion now that Lance Armstrong has won his sixth (and last?) Tour De France this past July. The past winners were all manifested again during the summer of 2004 with the same predictable results...Eddy Merckz was the "cannibal", the merciless killer among the past 5 time winners...Bernard Hineault was the silent assasin, the least likely looking winner, but perhaps the meanest cycler who ever lived...Jaques Anquetil was the elegant talent, the one who modernized world class cycling in the 60's and of course Armstrong, who is still really establishing his legacy. Who, then is this Miguel Indurain and what "category" does he fit into? Samuel Abt tries to define Indurain's place in history with "Champion: Bicycle Riding in the Age of Indurain". The problem, of course, is that this work was published in 1993 and Indurain still had much more to say on the cycling front.

Abt's story is one that I'd sort of compare to the early Roger Angell works on baseball...a set of diverse observations that pertain to the main event...in this case the 1991 and 1992 Tour De France. Abt descibes both races and certainly suceeds in fitting this race into the context of that day...Indurian, like Armstrong 10 years later, is the man to beat and all others, although interesting, will become mere shadows when viewed in Tour history. The reader gets all angles of world class cycling as Abt describes the growing Indurian myth and how Miguel is slowly replacing American Greg LeMond as the celebrity of the cycling world. We also hear from the less talented riders as Abt talks about their chances as well as how the economy is affecting the team structure in the early 90's. Indeed of all the teams that competed in the 1992 Tour, only the Lotto-Domo Belgian team still competed in the 2004 Tour (Indurian's Banesto team is now Illearas-Banesto).

Abt's descriptions and commentary border on brilliance as he succeeds in presenting a human picture to the world class cycling world and brings to the literay world the only true historical treatment of the brilliant Indurain that can be found (the Armstrong books by comparison, past and future, overwhelm the published books on Indurain). Abt's work is also timed to descibe the end of Greg Lemond's reign as the American Champion and the book ends with a portent of the future with "The First Lance" chapter wherby he descibes the young Armstrong and gives glowing predictions of Armstrong's future.

A work that true cycling fans should undertake (Abt does not attempt and does not succeed in clearing up the complex and at times maddening strategy pertaining to Tour riding) and one that sort of sets the stage for the Armstrong on-slaught, Sam Abt brings a truely worthy and capable champion to light and in the process elevates world class cycling to the level soon realized in the early 2000's.

Essential information for Indurain enthusiasts giving insights into the early Tour victories of the great champion. Also provides interesting glimpses into the personality of one of the more enigmatic figures in cycling history. Noteworthy too for its sidebar coverage of Grag LeMond, whose career was begining it's decline when Indurain's Tour dominance began.

This book captured the quiet, contemplative nature of Miguel Indurain, the 90's most dominant Tour de France rider, very well. Also it played out the backroom drama of "Le Tour". For any cycle racing fan, a must read.

Bought this primarily for the color photos of Chardin's work. If you like traditional still life
paintings, you'll love this.

I have to disagree with the above editorial. I compared the reproductions with others that I have, and although there are sometimes subtle differences they are not always to the disadvantage of this book. Some pictures are better than others, but the advantage here is that each reproduction is on a page by itself with commentary on an adjoining page-a catalogue layout that I always prefer in that it give the painting room to breathe and because I'm not reading on one page and finding the relevant painting six pages later. The book is obviously done by true lovers of the painter. Chardin is profound and a painter's painter. You can see and feel why he was adored by Cezanne, Soutine, Manet, Proust, and I'm sure many other significant artists. He has rightly been called a virtuoso of stillness. Even in reproduction, pieces of fruit, kitchenware and game animals are alive and quietly glowing from within with a warmth, compassion and a kind of subtle majesty-it's really deep in an indescribable way. In my opinion a very worthwhile purchase.

This book is simply gorgeous. I had been well acquainted with Chardin a number of years ago, and picked up this book on a whim at the store. Rediscovering this master was a true delight. His paintings are deceptively simple: behind the cool colors and the measured scenes lies a captivating energy. This particular volume is very well done. The reproductions are of superior quality and the accompanying essays by the world's most renowned Chardin expert are enjoyable and enlightening. Art books are expensive, but this is one that is well worth the investment.

I just wanted to add this to the review above: the 1979 catalog can still be found quite easily, but it contains mostly black and white reproductions of the works. There are only 23 colour images of the more than 400 pages in the 1979 book. The 2000 catalog is almost entirely in colour... However, I cannot properly judge the quality of the reproductions in the latter, as I have not seen one of those amazing paintings in reality yet.

As far I can say, this is one of the most charming and beautiful houses in the world. Is not that this is house is grant, or magnificent; Charleston is so special, because it's got character and lots of personality. I love this book.

i stumbled across this book on a beautiful indian summer sunday afternoon....it is a treasure for those unable to physically saunter through the rooms and out to the walled garden that is charleston. all photos in colour, all rooms as they were when vanessa bell, duncan grant, family and friends lived and worked there. inspirational.

I agree with the previous reader, this is it ... the definitive book on Charleston Farmhouse. Although I think this book is more than a glimpse of the house and garden for those unable to visit, it is a surperb reference for those of us that have visited and wish to recall the house, etc. The photography is stunning, the text is informative. A worthwhile addition to any Bloomsbury book collection.

For this genre of books, 5 stars. A nice gift for a Bloomsbury fan, but it is only "nice-to-have," not required for one's library.

Charlotte in Giverny is truly magical--its absolutely transporting! One truly gets the sense of what it must have been like to travel to and live in France as an american girl in the 1890's. The wonderful thing about Charlotte as a character is that she has such a strong and inspired voice--and what a sense of adventure! Lush paintings of the period jump off the pages--and the use of old postcards, stationary, and photgraphs lend to a sense of travelling back in time. Melissa Sweet's drawings complement Charlotte's adventures beautifully. Via Charlotte's keen and curious eye-we see not only Monet the master come to life-but the multitude of American painters who made their lives and art in Giverny. It is the mark of a truly gifted writer to breathe life into those who have long since left us-and Joan Knight has done just that. Monet is mysterious, Charlotte's dog Toby mischievous, and Giverny glaringly alive. There is romance, friendship, and adventure on the pages of this book--it is an absolute classic and should not be missed.

This is the story of Charlotte, a little girl who lived in the 1890s. She travels to Giverny with her parents, who are going to paint. She loves it in Giverny but misses her friend very badly. She lives next door to the Perrys and becomes very good friends with one of their daughters. She loves the dog they own. She wants one just like him. For Christmas her wish comes true. She finds a little dog in her shoe on Christmas morning and names it Toby. Then she gets a letter from her friend that says she is going to go to Giverny to see her. It is a great book that everyone should enjoy. In it you can learn some french words.

For anyone, child or adult, who has even a passing interest in the arts, "Charlotte in Giverny" is a kind of magical time-machine disguised as a children's book that takes the reader into the world of artists and villagers who had the good fortune to find themselves in Giverny, the revered artist's colony outside of Paris, in the late 1800's. Presented as the diary of a young girl who travels to Giverny from Boston with her parents (her father is a painter) in 1892, "Charlotte in Giverny" is rife with the joy of discovery. Charlotte is heartbroken at first because she has to leave her best friend behind. But then her adventures begin: on board ship, in awe-inspiring Paris, and throughout the year in the beautiful Normandy countryside where Charlotte makes new friends, plants a potager and even attends the wedding of Monsieur Monet's daughter. Reproductions of Impressionist paintings, postcards, photographs and ephemera from the period, as well as charming watercolor and collage illustrations by Melissa Sweet lend the book a quality both authentic and eye-pleasing. A rare and unusual treat, a treasure of a book for all ages to enjoy.

For anyone, child or adult, who has even a passing interest in the arts, "Charlotte in Giverny" is a kind of magical time-machine disguised as a children's book that takes the reader into the world of artists and villagers who had the good fortune to find themselves in Giverny, the revered artist's colony outside of Paris, in the late 1800's. Presented as the diary of a young girl who travels to Giverny from Boston with her parents (her father is a painter) in the 1890's, "Charlotte in Giverny" is rife with the joy of discovery. Charlotte (a girl with a sense of mischief) is heartbroken in the beginning at having to leave her best friend behind, but grows eager to explore her new world. Through her eyes, we make new friends, see new places, learn new things. Her shipboard departure from Boston, her awed introduction to Paris, and the year she lives in the beautiful Normandy countryside, are all richly illustrated. Reproductions of Impressionist paintings, postcards, photographs and ephemera from the period, as well as charming watercolor and collage illustrations by Melissa Sweet give the book a visual quality that's authentic and beautiful. The result is a rare and unusual treat, a treasure of a book for all ages to enjoy.

This is a superbly executed book on the famous Chartres cathedral, a gothic masterpiece which sits some 50 miles to the south west of Paris. Its reputation and geographic proximity to Paris assure its place as a frequent "day trip" for visitors and tourists to Paris who wish to see one of the apogees of gothic development. If you have the opportunity to visit Chartres, you most certainly will find Miller's text right in Chartres' own bookstore, as the book is truly a work worthy to be sold "on site." That fact alone speaks to the quality of this volume.

Miller's text provides a short introduction to the gothic movement, as well as the background of Chartres cathedral itself. But the focus on this book is the stained glass found in the cathedral, with a window-by-window detail of the glass, its date, and the allusions each window makes to the outside world. As such, this makes the book a valuable reference work, because one can follow the story from window to window in a way that would be difficult on-site without many days of time to do so (and using binoculars to help out!). The choice of focusing on the stained glass, rather than other features present in gothic cathedrals is justified: Chartres has some of the oldest and most-intact original stained glass of any cathedral in France, and is perhaps the single item among many others for which the structure is famous. Chartres is what is called a "dark cathedral," meaning that the available light inside the edifice is relatively low, making the interior a difficult place to see the architectural elements. But in such a setting, the stained glass takes on a "glowing" characteristic that is visually dramatic. To have a book so carefully lay out the windows for review is quite an achievement.

This is a paperback book done on large-size paper, but the covers and individual pages are of extremely high quality, durable, and glossy finish. The photographic reproductions are first-rate, and the graphic artwork used to present the material is also professionally developed. One flip through the volume and you'll be glad you added it to your library.

No one in the world (and I state that with full confidence) knows more about Chartres Cathedral than Malcolm Miller. What more needs to be said?

No visit to Chartres is complete without taking the tour of the Cathedral's walking encyclopedia Malcolm Miller. Miller's books are fantastic and give a tremendous insight into the history of Chartres and its Cathedral.

Malcolm Miller is the foremost English authority on the cathedral of Chartres. He divides his time between the town of Chartres, where he personally conducts tours, and the rest of the world where he lectures and makes films and videos of the subject. He opens his tours and lectures by commenting that the cathedral is like a library--and we don't just say, "We're going to go to the library today and read all the books". Each tour or lecture consists of a general introduction and focuses on a small part of the stained glass and statuary. The core of the book is a review of the iconography of a selection of the windows and sculpture. In this manner, you learn how to "read the books" in the cathedral, and gain an understanding of the world that produced them. Once you have toured Chartres, either in person or through that other medieval miracle, printing, you will want to return again and again.