Folio Archives 79: Chartres : The Making of a Miracle by Colin Ward 1986
Original topic subject: Folio Archives 79: Chatres : The Making of a Miracle by Colin Ward 1986
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1wcarter
Chartres : The Making of a Miracle by Colin Ward 1986
This beautiful book was the presentation volume for British and European members in 1986. For some reason, those in North America were given a different presentation volume - First Colonists, The, Hakluyt's Voyages in North America.
Colin Ward gives a fascinating and detailed history of one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals from prehistoric times to the late 20th.C. There are lots of interesting anecdotes and insights into the way in which this extraordinarily complex structure was built, and the inumerable vissitudes encountered along the way.
Lavishly illustrated with both colour and balck & white plates, the reader remembers with pleasure (as I do) an earlier visit, or the voyeur can imagine the delight of being able to visit. It would also act as an excellent guide book. All the hundreds of statues carved into the walls tell a story, and many of these are outlined in this book.
The 95 page (plus 28 pages of tipped in plates) book is 29x19.5cm. in its fully illustrated slipcase. The maroon cloth binding is blocked in silver with the design of the labyrinth which appears on the floor of the cathedral’s nave, a labyrinth that pilgrims wound around on their hands and knees as the last obstavle of their journey to the holy relics at the altar. The paper is Huntsman Blade Cartridge, and strikes me as being thicker and of better quality than the average FS book.
Another superb Folio Society publication.
Slipcase wraparound montage
A leaflet promoting this book as a membership benefit can be downloaded here.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
This beautiful book was the presentation volume for British and European members in 1986. For some reason, those in North America were given a different presentation volume - First Colonists, The, Hakluyt's Voyages in North America.
Colin Ward gives a fascinating and detailed history of one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals from prehistoric times to the late 20th.C. There are lots of interesting anecdotes and insights into the way in which this extraordinarily complex structure was built, and the inumerable vissitudes encountered along the way.
Lavishly illustrated with both colour and balck & white plates, the reader remembers with pleasure (as I do) an earlier visit, or the voyeur can imagine the delight of being able to visit. It would also act as an excellent guide book. All the hundreds of statues carved into the walls tell a story, and many of these are outlined in this book.
The 95 page (plus 28 pages of tipped in plates) book is 29x19.5cm. in its fully illustrated slipcase. The maroon cloth binding is blocked in silver with the design of the labyrinth which appears on the floor of the cathedral’s nave, a labyrinth that pilgrims wound around on their hands and knees as the last obstavle of their journey to the holy relics at the altar. The paper is Huntsman Blade Cartridge, and strikes me as being thicker and of better quality than the average FS book.
Another superb Folio Society publication.
Slipcase wraparound montage
A leaflet promoting this book as a membership benefit can be downloaded here.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
3overthemoon
Somehow I acquired both this and the Hakluyt.
4dlphcoracl
I cannot recommend this one strongly enough. It is a wonderful, succinct introduction into what is arguably the most beautiful cathedral in Europe, with outstanding illustrations of their renowned stained glass windows,
5garyjbp
>1 wcarter: : " those in North America were given a different presentation volume - First Colonists,"
Americans were given Chartres the following year.
Americans were given Chartres the following year.
6Bookworm59
That looks wonderful!
7davidjbrown10
Great to see that again >1 wcarter: – my presentation volume the year I joined! Thank you...
8elenchus
A marvelous look into a title of which I wasn't aware until now. Unlikely as it might be to come across one, I'm putting it on my wishlist.
9folio_books
>8 elenchus: unlikely as it might be to come across one
I don't know if that was tongue-in-cheek but there's lots of them on Abe, starting at £2. It was a Presentation Volume, free to all members.
I don't know if that was tongue-in-cheek but there's lots of them on Abe, starting at £2. It was a Presentation Volume, free to all members.
10elenchus
I don't come across many Folio editions in person, but I hadn't looked online to see if they were readily available. Thanks for the prompt, I'll look this evening!
ETA Indeed there are readily available copies (sans slipcase) quite cheaply. I've placed an order tonight.
ETA Indeed there are readily available copies (sans slipcase) quite cheaply. I've placed an order tonight.
11wcarter
>2 drasvola:
Oops!
I can correct it in the heading, but unfortunately you cannot edit the topic title.
Oops!
I can correct it in the heading, but unfortunately you cannot edit the topic title.
12elenchus
My copy arrived today, under $10 including shipping & handling, the slipcase (it was included despite a generic note suggesting it would not be) is slightly worn and the first page is stained but the text block is solid, the boards are handsome, and it looks to be a fine copy. I look forward to reading through it, and there are quite a number of illustrations. I thank everyone here for the enablement.
13AlexCo
Thanks wcarter for another of these. Am I right in saying this book does not in fact have tipped in plates - unlike say the earlier FS edition of Peter Pan etc.?
14drasvola
For those of us who believe it is the correct way, the title on the spine in this book runs from the bottom up!
15affle
>14 drasvola:
Bravo, Antonio - it's been ages since we've had a conversation about this. I've just acquired A lady's life in the Rocky Mountains and was surprised to find it bottom up, as it was published even later than the Chartres book, in 1988. I find I can't remember the date when the FS world turned upside down - can anyone help?
Bravo, Antonio - it's been ages since we've had a conversation about this. I've just acquired A lady's life in the Rocky Mountains and was surprised to find it bottom up, as it was published even later than the Chartres book, in 1988. I find I can't remember the date when the FS world turned upside down - can anyone help?
17folio_books
>15 affle:
I seemed to recall it was announced in one of the prospectuses, but I can't find it. Maybe it was in the covering membership letter/order form.
What I can tell you is the 1986 prospectus was the last full year in which the new books showed only bottom-to-top. 1887 & 1988 show a mixture of the two. 1989 is all top-to-bottom or, as true aficionados will say, the wrong way.
I seemed to recall it was announced in one of the prospectuses, but I can't find it. Maybe it was in the covering membership letter/order form.
What I can tell you is the 1986 prospectus was the last full year in which the new books showed only bottom-to-top. 1887 & 1988 show a mixture of the two. 1989 is all top-to-bottom or, as true aficionados will say, the wrong way.
18affle
>17 folio_books:
Thank you, Glenn - that is what I was after: my unconscious memory was right to prompt the thought that the 1988 Isabella Bird book was late in being bottom up, as it was among the last batch thus.
>16 drasvola:
Quite, but we need the conversation regularly as it's so delightfully divisive. I notice the lovely Tallone books from Italy that dlphcoracl drew attention to on another thread are bottom up in the continental fashion: perhaps the anglophones won't buy because of it.
Thank you, Glenn - that is what I was after: my unconscious memory was right to prompt the thought that the 1988 Isabella Bird book was late in being bottom up, as it was among the last batch thus.
>16 drasvola:
Quite, but we need the conversation regularly as it's so delightfully divisive. I notice the lovely Tallone books from Italy that dlphcoracl drew attention to on another thread are bottom up in the continental fashion: perhaps the anglophones won't buy because of it.
19elenchus
>18 affle: we need the conversation regularly as it's so delightfully divisive
I'll bite: as a crass American, I took perverse delight in finding books with bottom-up spine lettering, and assumed we North Americans were the cause of the change and that both British and Continental tradition was for bottom-up. I saw German books in that fashion, for example, especially those in blackletter.
perhaps the anglophones won't buy because of it
Am I wrong in thinking British editions are traditionally bottom-up spines? I'm confused as this reference implies to me that the larger British book-buying public prefer top-down. I'd assumed they'd prefer bottom-up and if anything would bristle at the flattening of tradition in accordance with globalist practises.
I'll bite: as a crass American, I took perverse delight in finding books with bottom-up spine lettering, and assumed we North Americans were the cause of the change and that both British and Continental tradition was for bottom-up. I saw German books in that fashion, for example, especially those in blackletter.
perhaps the anglophones won't buy because of it
Am I wrong in thinking British editions are traditionally bottom-up spines? I'm confused as this reference implies to me that the larger British book-buying public prefer top-down. I'd assumed they'd prefer bottom-up and if anything would bristle at the flattening of tradition in accordance with globalist practises.
20affle
>19 elenchus:
'The arrangement of lettering on the spines of books periodically stirs up argument among publishers and designers.' This from Hugh Williamson in Methods of book design, published in 1956, and he goes on to say: 'No agreement has yet been reached, and bookshelves present the curious spectacle of spine lettering running in three directions, upwards, downwards,and across.' This was Britain, and long ago, and the argument here has gradually been resolved in favour of downwards, with FS being among the last to conform. But the tradition is different in much of continental Europe.
I do find many people used to downwards inclined to claim anything else is wrong; I have heard the assertion that a book with the titling running upwards had been put into the case upside down. For myself, I like my shelves to have the curious spectacle mentioned by Williamson.
'The arrangement of lettering on the spines of books periodically stirs up argument among publishers and designers.' This from Hugh Williamson in Methods of book design, published in 1956, and he goes on to say: 'No agreement has yet been reached, and bookshelves present the curious spectacle of spine lettering running in three directions, upwards, downwards,and across.' This was Britain, and long ago, and the argument here has gradually been resolved in favour of downwards, with FS being among the last to conform. But the tradition is different in much of continental Europe.
I do find many people used to downwards inclined to claim anything else is wrong; I have heard the assertion that a book with the titling running upwards had been put into the case upside down. For myself, I like my shelves to have the curious spectacle mentioned by Williamson.
21Jayked
Folio hedged its bets with its old dustjacketed editions: the book was bottom-to-top, the cover top-to-bottom. That caused an outbreak of torticollis among buyers of the Shakespeare series when dustjackets were replaced by slipcases.
I have books from other British publishers from the forties and fifties, and practice varies between publishers -- possibly even among individual editions?
I have books from other British publishers from the forties and fifties, and practice varies between publishers -- possibly even among individual editions?
22folio_books
>20 affle: This was Britain, and long ago, and the argument here has gradually been resolved in favour of downwards, with FS being among the last to conform.
I am almost certain that the reason given at the time was to conform with European practice. Perhaps it will change back after Brexit ;)
>21 Jayked: Folio hedged its bets with its old dustjacketed editions: the book was bottom-to-top, the cover top-to-bottom.
Ah, now I never realised that. Admittedly, dustjacketed Folios were before my time, but even so, it says something about my powers of observation, which I could never claim to be super.
I am almost certain that the reason given at the time was to conform with European practice. Perhaps it will change back after Brexit ;)
>21 Jayked: Folio hedged its bets with its old dustjacketed editions: the book was bottom-to-top, the cover top-to-bottom.
Ah, now I never realised that. Admittedly, dustjacketed Folios were before my time, but even so, it says something about my powers of observation, which I could never claim to be super.
23folio_books
>18 affle: my unconscious memory was right to prompt the thought that the 1988 Isabella Bird book was late in being bottom up, as it was among the last batch thus.
If the evidence of the prospectus is to be trusted, Isabella's was the penultimate book before the changeover, the last being Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson, later in 1988. I'm thinking it's possible they did it to match the earlier "Kidnapped".
If the evidence of the prospectus is to be trusted, Isabella's was the penultimate book before the changeover, the last being Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson, later in 1988. I'm thinking it's possible they did it to match the earlier "Kidnapped".
24ranbarnes
>11 wcarter:
You could correct the thread title now.
You could correct the thread title now.
25wcarter
>24 ranbarnes:
Done! You have a remarkable memory.
Done! You have a remarkable memory.
26ranbarnes
>25 wcarter:
Not really. I was just browsing the thread enjoying the discussion on spine title direction.
Not really. I was just browsing the thread enjoying the discussion on spine title direction.
