Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction by David MaCaulay (1973)

I promised myself I'd look at this book, since it would give me a visual understanding of Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. I should have bought it while I was listening to Pillars, but better late than never. I guess I am even more amazed, when I see the dimensions of a cathedral, especially in proportion to the town around it. It's like a bear sitting amongst week old chicks. Now I have answers to my questions about the size of the stones used, how they did the foundations, which I somehow could not visualize, the templates, the flying buttresses, the vaulted ceilings - all these things are much clearer. I thank McCaulay for providing this insight on cathedrals and many other structures not only to children, but all of us.