****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This Folio Society binding of the Schutz's photographic masterpiece "Great Cathedrals" is one of the most superbly executed photo books on gothic cathedrals available on the market today. This superb execution is adorned with a leather end binding, a beautiful photographic inlay on the front and back cover of the volume, and, to boot, a full slipcover, complete with edge-to-edge photo on the front side. It is rare today to see a book made like this, but the Folio Society took what was already a great work (Great Cathedrals) and made it better with this collector's edition of the earlier Schutz work.The volume is massive in size and tips the scales at a number of pounds, but one glance is all it takes to be hooked. This is professional photography that only a seasoned photographer can produce, and then reproduced in the highest quality with splendid detail and high gloss, heavy weight paper (the book is both printed and bound in Italy). Browsing through these monumental pictures that pay homage to the monumental cathedrals, we forget all about the technical details of how the great Gothic structures were built and simply sit back and enjoy the fantastic beauty and immense impact the medieval architects planned all along to have upon us. There are surprisingly few of these types of books in the American market (a plethora of them exist in France, England, and Germany), but Schutz's book fills the bill, and makes a splendid addition to the genre.If you read the reviews from the earlier edition, you'll see there is 100% agreement on the beauty of this book, and Folio Edition takes this a step further with its fantastic adornments. A rare book, well worth it's cost. If you are interested in gothic cathedrals, don't miss it. Five stars.
