Christopher Wren (Very Interesting People) [Paperback]

Kerry Downes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Very Interesting People | Publication Date: August 6, 2007

Definitive, concise, and very interesting...From William Shakespeare to Winston Churchill, the Very Interesting People series provides authoritative bite-sized biographies of Britain's most fascinating historical figures - people whose influence and importance have stood the test of time. Each book in the series is based upon the biographical entry from the world-famous Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kerry Downes is Emeritus Professor of the History of Art, University of Reading.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199215243
• ISBN-13: 978-0199215249
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,389,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-rounded introduction to the great architect, January 3, 2009

By 

Mark Klobas (Tempe, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Christopher Wren (Very Interesting People) (Paperback)

Like his most famous building, Christopher Wren towers over the history of British architecture, yet as Kerry Downes reminds us, he was so much more than that. Born to a High Anglican minister, he demonstrated a scientific aptitude that led to appointments to a chair of astronomy at first Gresham College, then to the Savilian chair at Oxford. He came to architecture almost incidentally, yet his genius led to his appointment as surveyor of the king's works at the age of 36, a position he would hold for nearly four decades. Coming in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London, the disaster not only paved the way for the reconstruction of St, Paul's Cathedral but work on churches in dozens of parishes throughout the city, all of which bore the hallmark of his genius.

In assessing Wren's architectural achievements, there are few better guides than Downes, a longtime architectural historian and the author of several books on the architect. Taken from the entry he wrote on Wren for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Plus Index of Contributors (60 Volumes), it is a good overview of his life and achievements. While it suffers from the absence of images of the buildings Downes describes, it offers a well rounded assessment of Wren's accomplishments, one that does not overlook his scientific work as all too many other studies tend to do. For anyone seeking an introduction to the man and his achievements, this is the book to read.