Travel to Europe

Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

Format: Paperback
Author: Ross King
ReleaseDate: 30 October, 2001
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Rating:

enjoyable read, needs more diagrams
I was entertained by all the distractions that affected the completion (plague, invasions, pope visits, rivalries, etc) and was intrigued by the fact that he had to engineer not only the dome but also the equipement for the construction. I found this to be a very enjoyable and quick read. My only negative is that I would have really appreciated more sketches and diagrams to describe how it all went together. It was nice that they had some old sketches and pictures, but a diagram of the whole church with lables would have been really helpful at the beginning. I'm no expert on European church architecture so I didn't know where in the church half the stuff was they were talking about. Also, I'm an engineer and after reading the book, I still didn't understand how some of it went together. Overall it was enjoyable introduction to architecture and construction of the time.

Popular history at its best
This is a highly accessible book, written by a good story teller. For people who have trudged up the 400 odd stairs in Florence, this book will explain the genius that built the dome. King is a novelist who has turned his hand to history and the results are more than pleasing. I enjoyed the various stories and the way he combined politics and religion of the era.

King unveils both the technical details of the building along with the wider historical setting. King writes with a clear style that reflects a genuine narrative talent. He also can organise the material beautifully by leaving the story hanging and then come back to close it off.

A rich, dense and great book.

lack of control, loss of attention
The writing leaves the story of two men: their practices, their rift, and their city; then becomes lost in the muddle of technical aspects of the project. This book was not all that I expected. While the mechanical information is interesting, the manner in which the author interjects it leads me to believe the author does have the skill I expected.

If you have been to Florence or are going to be, I say this book becomes a must read because it does allow one to gain an appreciation of distant (yet a not so distant) place in time (as Amazon's "Al Chase" and others have expressed. )

This book is an easy/quick read, and very informative, however it was a less than spectacular read. I appreciate how much this book covers from the perspective of architectural social/professional practices, engineering, responsibility, wit, and innovation. And I want to rate it higher based on content, but the questionable factuality of biographical information leads me to question the rest of the material as well. Nevertheless I am glad to see an author tackle the genius of Flippo Brunelleschi and Michelangelo (and the Popes Ceiling) in writing.

In my opinion, Amazon's Robert J. Crawford writes an excellent review of this book, if you want to read more detailed review. Average at worst but that's what I'm giving it.
.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Europe travel books.

	The Stones of Florence