Product Description

The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the jewels of Paris and one of Europe's masterpieces of Gothic architecture. This lavishly illustrated book on the cathedral aims to evoke the awe-inspiring monument that attracts countless visitors around the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #843463 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04
• Original language: French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Amazon.com Review
If you're going to Paris, chances are you'll drop by Notre-Dame. And if you're going to Notre-Dame, your experience can be significantly enriched by spending a while with Alain Erlande-Brandenburg's Notre-Dame de Paris and Caroline Rose's photography. Get comfortable, pour yourself a glass of wine, and settle into the history, design, and interior of one of man's greatest monuments to God. From the 4th-century cathedral to the exquisite iconography of the western facade's portrayal of the Last Judgment, it's a structure deeply deserving of the loving treatment Erlande- Brandenburg and Rose bestow. And when you're there in the flesh, you'll appreciate the flying buttresses and stained-glass windows better for every picture detail and insightful note you studied before you left. --Stephanie Gold

From Library Journal
Abradale strikes again with another beautiful volume at a more reasonable price. Published at $75 in 1997, this is both an architectural and historical/social portrait of the great Parisian cathedral. The text is buttressed with numerous illustrations as well as simply stunning photographs by noted architectural photographer Caroline Rose. This offers a rich history with tremendous browse appeal. If this volume's original price was too prohibitive, now's the time to buy.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
While art historian Erlande-Brandenburgs careful, vigorous study of the construction of one of the greatest medieval cathedrals and of the symbolic intentions of its architecture, sculpture, and stained glass, does not break new ground, it does offer a clear, useful review of Notre Dames long history and importance. Drawing on everything from archaeological research to period documents, Erlande-Brandenburg, curator of the Muse de Cluny in Paris, situates the 12th-century cathedral within the context of its times, and offers an animated discussion of the ideas of the unknown master architects who came up with a design characterized by a mixture of ``ambition, technical acumen, clarity, and serenity.'' He explains both why the cathedral looks the way it does and how the effects were achieved. (Its delicate columns and soaring vaults are among the greatest architectural creations of the Middle Ages.) He also devotes considerable space to a discussion of the nature of the magnificent sculptures of saints, sinners, and demons added to the exterior of the cathedral, and its stained-glass windows. (262 illustrations, including 138 in color) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

A great book on a great building.
Forever locked between the two great arms of the Seine,sits one of,if not the greatest,of man's acheivements;Notre-Dame.In a truly beautiful account of the behemoth's history,the author takes time to tell the human stories of joy,sorrow,death and intrigue.He also includes stunnnning photos showing the true beauty of Notre-Dame.Own this true masterpiece.