false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172198203m/148821.jpg 148821 12 Filippo Brunelleschi's design for the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence remains one of the most towering achievements of Renaissance architecture. Completed in 1436, the dome remains a remarkable feat of design and engineering. Its span of more than 140 feet exceeds St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome, and even outdoes the Capitol in Washington, D.C., making it the largest dome ever constructed using bricks and mortar. The story of its creation and its brilliant but "hot-tempered" creator is told in Ross King's delightful <I>Brunelleschi's Dome</I>. Both dome and architect offer King plenty of rich material. The story of the dome goes back to 1296, when work began on the cathedral, but it was only in 1420, when Brunelleschi won a competition over his bitter rival Lorenzo Ghiberti to design the daunting cupola, that work began in earnest. King weaves an engrossing tale from the political intrigue, personal jealousies, dramatic setbacks, and sheer inventive brilliance that led to the paranoid Filippo, "who was so proud of his inventions and so fearful of plagiarism," finally seeing his dome completed only months before his death. King argues that it was Brunelleschi's improvised brilliance in solving the problem of suspending the enormous cupola in bricks and mortar (painstakingly detailed with precise illustrations) that led him to "succeed in performing an engineering feat whose structural daring was without parallel." He tells a compelling, informed story, ranging from discussions of the construction of the bricks, mortar, and marble that made up the dome, to its subsequent use as a scientific instrument by the Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli. <I>&#8211;Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk</I> 515240 1 11 2001 Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture total:954|5:205|4:425|3:274|2:44|1:6| 954 3641 1374 134 3 1 false false Mon Sep 03 20:43:59 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 03 20:46:44 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 17:01:08 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 15:02:53 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jul 12 15:31:03 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 12 15:32:17 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Feb 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 07:27:33 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 07:18:34 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 05 06:01:31 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 06:10:08 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jul 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 08:33:12 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 10:44:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 13 11:28:52 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 22:16:37 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Nov 12 20:17:38 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 14 06:19:49 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Mon Oct 20 02:23:15 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 20 02:24:43 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 21 17:16:21 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 01 18:09:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 true false Fri Apr 04 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 28 11:37:43 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 06 13:32:53 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 24 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 01 15:43:04 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 05 00:37:58 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Wed Feb 06 14:49:01 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 16 14:52:48 -0800 2008
Anyone who has been to the ancient Italian city of Florence recognizes the big ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jan 28 19:17:42 -0800 2008 Thu Aug 21 15:45:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 23 00:46:17 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 00:58:44 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 22 06:35:41 -0700 2007 Fri Nov 09 08:44:09 -0800 2007
The book covers the building for the Duome during the time the campomaestro Filippo an architect who grew up in ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Apr 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 18:16:05 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 03 10:45:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Mar 21 16:43:47 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 10:45:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Feb 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 22:11:14 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 22:29:32 -0800 2009
Random thoughts: It had never occurred to me the logistical nightmares in trying to build the largest octago...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Mar 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 14:52:22 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 06:07:50 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=148821