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The Most Beautiful Universities in the World
T he Most Beautiful Universities in the World invites readers to discover more than 20 hallowed halls of higher learning, from the University of Bologna—the Western world’s first university, founded in 1088—to the Sorbonne in France to Cambridge University in England to Yale University in the United States and many other architecturally significant universities in between. Following his acclaimed books on the world’s most beautiful libraries and opera houses, photographer Guillaume de Laubier now turns his lens toward a new aspect of world heritage. Sumptuous photographs showcase amphitheaters, libraries, reception halls, and hidden gardens, while the text describes the history of each campus, its architecture, research disciplines, and reference collections.
- GenresArchitectureNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 18, 2023
I had already been impressed with another of de Laubier's books: The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World. I love all the art and architecture in this book of Universities. And what is a University without libraries! So books are prominently featured here too.
I like the fairly short stories on each of these schools. It is not just boring wiki-facts. The writer found nuances on each of these institutions. For example, University of Salamanca in Spain:
Find the frog! Students at the University of Salamanca who walk past its imposing facade are strongly encourage to find the frog sitting on top of a skull carved into the wall. Tradition states that the person who spots it will pass all his final exams. Souvenir shops all around Salamanca offer frog key chains, stuffed toys, and magnets that perpetuate the legend of the frog, which has become the symbol of the university and of Salamanca. But finding the frog on this elaborate facade is not so easy!
I like the occasional large dinosaur skeletons in some hallways/entrances or museums. (like McGill and Trinity)
The photos are artistic in their composition, so this oversize book does justice to these prints. It makes me want to visit each of these. I must admit, the more modern ones (a few) did not hold nearly as much appeal as the much older institutions. I' subtract 1/2-star for the unimpressive modern ones when so easily compared to serious classics early in this book.
1. University of Bologna, Italy (1088)
2. University of Salamanca, Spain (1218)
3. University of Oxford, England (1250)
4. Sorbonne, Paris, France (1253)
5. University of Cambridge, England (1284)
6. University of Coimbra, Portugal (1290)
7. Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland (1363)
8. Heidelberg University, Germany (1386)
9. Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany (1472)
10. Uppsala University, Sweden (1477)
11. Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (1592)
12. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA (1701)
13. University of Wroclaw, Poland (1702)
14. Princeton University, New Jersey, USA (1746)
15. National School of Fine Arts, Paris, France (1816)
16. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA (1819)
17. McGill University, Montreal, Canada (1821)
18. American University of Beirut, Lebanon (1866)
19. Stanford University, California, USA (1885)
20. Royal Holloway, University of London, England (1886)
21. University of Chicago, Illinois, USA (1890)
22. Qatar University at Doha, Qatar (1973)
23. Rolex Learning Center, Luasanne, Switzerland (2010)
I like the fairly short stories on each of these schools. It is not just boring wiki-facts. The writer found nuances on each of these institutions. For example, University of Salamanca in Spain:
Find the frog! Students at the University of Salamanca who walk past its imposing facade are strongly encourage to find the frog sitting on top of a skull carved into the wall. Tradition states that the person who spots it will pass all his final exams. Souvenir shops all around Salamanca offer frog key chains, stuffed toys, and magnets that perpetuate the legend of the frog, which has become the symbol of the university and of Salamanca. But finding the frog on this elaborate facade is not so easy!
I like the occasional large dinosaur skeletons in some hallways/entrances or museums. (like McGill and Trinity)
The photos are artistic in their composition, so this oversize book does justice to these prints. It makes me want to visit each of these. I must admit, the more modern ones (a few) did not hold nearly as much appeal as the much older institutions. I' subtract 1/2-star for the unimpressive modern ones when so easily compared to serious classics early in this book.
1. University of Bologna, Italy (1088)
2. University of Salamanca, Spain (1218)
3. University of Oxford, England (1250)
4. Sorbonne, Paris, France (1253)
5. University of Cambridge, England (1284)
6. University of Coimbra, Portugal (1290)
7. Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland (1363)
8. Heidelberg University, Germany (1386)
9. Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany (1472)
10. Uppsala University, Sweden (1477)
11. Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (1592)
12. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA (1701)
13. University of Wroclaw, Poland (1702)
14. Princeton University, New Jersey, USA (1746)
15. National School of Fine Arts, Paris, France (1816)
16. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA (1819)
17. McGill University, Montreal, Canada (1821)
18. American University of Beirut, Lebanon (1866)
19. Stanford University, California, USA (1885)
20. Royal Holloway, University of London, England (1886)
21. University of Chicago, Illinois, USA (1890)
22. Qatar University at Doha, Qatar (1973)
23. Rolex Learning Center, Luasanne, Switzerland (2010)
October 26, 2018
adjoin the rooms, buildings and libraries featured here and thus one has formed an approximation of heaven. Happy indeed are the travelling scholars that fleet from one of these institutions to another
January 11, 2021
Some good photography, but the text is minimal. A coffee table book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews