Locating Books in InfoKat Discovery
To get started in locating books, try searching the Libraries' InfoKat Discovery.
Just type your search terms into the single search box and go! Your keyword search will match titles, authors, subjects (even some full text!) and return books, articles, media and more. You may even discover materials not owned by UK Libraries, and can request those via InterLibrary Loan.
In addition to keywords, you can also try searching by subject terms. Check out this sample list below.
Once you have your search results, use the options on the left to narrow your search. You can limit by:
- Resource Type: Books? Articles? Videos?
- Peer-reviewed: Only peer-reviewed articles or journals?
- Full text online: Electronic books? (Access from off-campus!)
- Language: In English? In Arabic or French?
- Date: Only recent titles? Only old?
- Location: From Young Library? Or Fine Arts Library?
To the right is a curated list of books that pertain to the course topic.
Featured Books
Great Cathedrals by
The great Gothic cathedrals of Europe, with their soaring spires and expanses of glass, are some of the most loved and admired works of architecture in the world. From Chartres, whose stained-glass windows create patterns of light that seem truly mystical, to the Cathedral of Florence, whose soaring dome has been called "one of the engineering marvels of all time," this glorious art book covers the major Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals in France, England, Germany, Italy, and Spain. A wealth of photographs showing the cathedrals inside and out, including close-up architectural and sculptural details, and an authoritative text by a respected architectural historian combine to produce an indispensable work for scholars, as well as a lovely gift for all those who adore these majestic buildings.
Publication Date: 2002
The Formation of English Gothic by
In this original account of architecture in England between c.1150 and c.1250, Peter Draper explores how the assimilation of new ideas from France led to an English version of Gothic architecture that was quite distinct from Gothic expression elsewhere. The author considers the great cathedrals of England (Canterbury, Wells, Salisbury, Lincoln, Ely, York, Durham, and others) as well as parish churches and secular buildings, to examine the complex interrelations between architecture and its social and political functions. Architecture was an expression of identity, Draper finds, and the unique Gothic that developed in England was one of a number of manifestations of an emerging sense of national identity. The book inquires into such topics as the role of patrons, the relationships between patrons and architects, and the wide variety of factors that contributed to the process of creating a building. With 250 illustrations, including more than 50 in color, this book offers new ways of seeing and thinking about some of England’s greatest and best-loved architecture.
Publication Date: 2007
German Gothic Church Architecture by
Nussbaum aims to provide a complete overview of German Gothic church architecture between the early 13th and early 16th centuries, looking at Germany, Bohemia, Austria, northern Switzerland, Alsace and Silesia.
Publication Date: 2000
Paris and Her Cathedrals by
"So infectious is R. Howard Bloch's passion for his subject that even those unable to do the traveling required will find in Paris and Her Cathedrals an inspiring guide to these time-hallowed masterpieces of medieval culture." --Colin Jones, author of Paris and The Great Nation Over the years, R. Howard Bloch has become renowned for the insider tours of Paris that he gives to students abroad. Long sought after by travelers and history buffs for his near-encyclopedic knowledge of French cathedrals, the eminent French literature scholar finally shares his expertise with a wider audience. In Paris and Her Cathedrals, six of the most sublime cathedrals in the penumbra of Paris--Saint-Denis, Notre-Dame, Chartres, Sainte-Chapelle, Amiens, Reims--are illumined in magnificent detail as Bloch, taking us from the High Middle Ages to the devastating fire that set Notre-Dame ablaze in 2019, traces the evolution of each in turn. Written from the premise that "seeing is enhanced by knowing," each chapter is organized along the lines of a walk around and then through the space of the cathedral, such that the actual or virtual visitor feels the rich sweep of the church, "the essence of these architectural wonders" (Antonia Felix). Animating the past with lush evocations of architectural splendor--from flying buttresses and jewel-encrusted shrines to hidden burial grounds and secret chambers--Bloch then contextualizes the cathedrals within the annals of French history. Here thrilling tales of kingly intrigue--as in Saint-Chapelle, where the pious King Louis IX amassed relics, including Christ's crown of thorns--and audacious abbots are interspersed with anecdotes about the meeting of aristocratic and everyday life, culminating in "a rich, colorful narrative that clearly but expertly explains the history and symbolism of some of the world's most magnificent buildings" (Ross King). To be read in preparation for an enlightened visit or merely to open a window upon the High Middle Ages in France, Paris and Her Cathedrals is a "revelation," an "indispensable guide" (Garry Wills) to these awe-inspiring structures. Complete with the author's own photographs, this beautifully illustrated volume vitally enhances our understanding of the history of Paris and its environs.
Publication Date: 2022
The Gothic Enterprise by
The great Gothic cathedrals of Europe are among the most astonishing achievements of Western culture. Evoking feelings of awe and humility, they make us want to understand what inspired the people who had the audacity to build them. This engrossing book surveys an era that has fired the historical imagination for centuries. In it Robert A. Scott explores why medieval people built Gothic cathedrals, how they built them, what conception of the divine lay behind their creation, and how religious and secular leaders used cathedrals for social and political purposes. As a traveler's companion or a rich source of knowledge for the armchair enthusiast, The Gothic Enterprise helps us understand how ordinary people managed such tremendous feats of physical and creative energy at a time when technology was rudimentary, famine and disease were rampant, the climate was often harsh, and communal life was unstable and incessantly violent. While most books about Gothic cathedrals focus on a particular building or on the cathedrals of a specific region, The Gothic Enterprise considers the idea of the cathedral as a humanly created space. Scott discusses why an impoverished people would commit so many social and personal resources to building something so physically stupendous and what this says about their ideas of the sacred, especially the vital role they ascribed to the divine as a protector against the dangers of everyday life. Scott's narrative offers a wealth of fascinating details concerning daily life during medieval times. The author describes the difficulties master-builders faced in scheduling construction that wouldn't be completed during their own lifetimes, how they managed without adequate numeric systems or paper on which to make detailed drawings, and how climate, natural disasters, wars, variations in the hours of daylight throughout the year, and the celebration of holy days affected the pace and timing of work. Scott also explains such things as the role of relics, the quarrying and transporting of stone, and the incessant conflict cathedral-building projects caused within their communities. Finally, by drawing comparisons between Gothic cathedrals and other monumental building projects, such as Stonehenge, Scott expands our understanding of the human impulses that shape our landscape.
Publication Date: 2011
Toledo Cathedral : building histories in medieval Castile by
A history of the Spanish Gothic cathedral of Toledo. Balances architectural history with close scrutiny of the cathedral's liturgy and cults, the sculpture on its portals and choir enclosure, its royal tombs, and its diverse treasury and textiles.
Publication Date: 2015
