Guided by a Stonemason: The Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches of Britain Unveiled [Paperback]

Thomas Maude (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1860640397 | ISBN-13: 978-1860640391 | Publication Date: June 15, 1997

Visiting historic buildings is one of Britain's most popular pursuits. Visitors, however, are often frustrated by existing guidebooks, which assume much prior knowledge of architectural history and terms. This book presents a new look at cathedrals, abbeys and churches through the eyes of experienced stonemason, Thomas Maude. He uses historical and technical information, colourful anecdotes and his knowledge of building structures and techniques to convey the excitement which they hold in store.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (June 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860640397
• ISBN-13: 978-1860640391
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,662,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guided By A Stone Mason,By Thomas Maude, December 16, 2000

By 

James Nye (St Francis, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guided by a Stonemason: The Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches of Britain Unveiled (Paperback)

An excellent book about the history and construction of medieval churchs,abbeys,and cathderals.

The author , a working stone mason who has worked on the repair and restoration of these ancient buildings,gives insights into the development and technical details that went into creating these masterpieces.

The author's admiration for these builders is reflected in his discussion of the problems they encountered and how they arrived at solutions to create these masterpieces which have been handed down to our modern generation.

In additon, he also gives valuable insights into the history of the ancients times based on his intimate knowledge of the work undertaken by the builders.

The book is well illustrated with discriptive captions and is easily understood by the layman reader. I would highly recommend this book to any one who is interested in the medieval churchs and cathedrals of Britain.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the first books to read about cathedrals and churches, March 1, 2006

By 

Elizabeth A. Root (Laurel, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Guided by a Stonemason: The Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches of Britain Unveiled (Paperback)

Unlike so many books that I have read about churches and cathedrals, one will not need to keep an architectural dictionary or a reference book on the medieval church nearby as one reads. This will enhance both tours of the buildings and further reading. I will definitely keep this in my permanent collection.

Thomas Maude is a British stone-mason, and his love for his craft and the buildings that his fellow masons produced adds to the pleasure of reading.

The text is very well written, thorough and logically arranged. Maude works his way through the main structure of a cathedral, church or cloister in a way that is easy to follow and accompanied by well-chosen illustrations. He begins with Norman building styles and follows carefully through the developments in Gothic architecture. He explains the various types of building materials available in Britain, the daily offices of worship, the changing uses of various parts of the building (weddings used to be on the church porch, for example.)

The photography is all in black and white, except for the cover, and is generally very good with many excellent detail shots.

Extremely informative and a delight to read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Broad array of topics and easy to understand, February 17, 2003

By 

Rafael L Medina (Tegucigalpa, MDC Honduras) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guided by a Stonemason: The Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches of Britain Unveiled (Paperback)

Even though the book is very nice and recommendable, it does not go into too much details. What I liked the most is that Mr. Maude covers some aspects in the design of the cathedrals and churches hardly to find in other books related to mediaeval architecture. I would recommend this book for someone looking for learning the basics and one who appreciates the religious lifestyle that prevailed at that time as an important factor for the design and construction of this sort of buildings. The explanations given by Mr. Maude concerning the physics used by the master builders to understand the behavior of walls, flying buttresses, arches, and other construction elements are very easy to follow. Definitely this is a book for a person who has just started into this wonderful subject of medieval construction.