Brunelleschi's Dome

How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

By: Ross King

Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart

On August 19, 1418, a competition concerning Florence's magnificent new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore was announced: "Whoever desires to make any model or design for the vaulting of the main Dome...shall do so before the end of the month of September." The proposed dome was regarded far and wide as all but impossible to build. The dome would literally need to be erected over thin air.

Of the many plans submitted, one stood out. It was offered not by a master mason or carpenter, but by a goldsmith and clockmaker named Filippo Brunelleschi, who would dedicate the next 28 years to solving the puzzles of the dome's construction. In the process, he did nothing less than reinvent the field of architecture.

Brunelleschi's Dome is the story of how a Renaissance genius bent men, materials, and the very forces of nature to build an architectural wonder we continue to marvel at today. Denounced at first as a madman, Brunelleschi was celebrated at the end as a genius. He engineered the perfect placement of brick and stone, built ingenious hoists and cranes to carry an estimated 70 million pounds hundreds of feet into the air, and designed the workers' platforms and routines so carefully that only one man died during the decades of construction.

©2000 Ross King (P)2020 Tantor

It’s a heavy lift, literally.

Very interesting historical story. These men were amazing artists and engineers. I would have paid more attention to the dome when I was in Florence had I read this book before traveling.

Very interesting and informative

The author spends a lot of time on the actual mechanics of building the dome and the machinery created/used by Brunelleschi. It gives you an amazing perspective of how brilliant and ahead of his time Filipo was. The narrator has the potential to be great, but he adds these weird inflections that are really unnecessary. He’s kind of hard to swallow sometimes, but not to a point where you can’t listen. I’d give him a 3.5 rating, if that was an option. Overall, worth the listen.

Great read

Interesting subject and awesome details into the engineering aspect of the construction. I need more words, to leave a review, apparently...

Excellent

An absorbing and illuminating recount. The visitor to Florence will benefit from including this book in his library.

Fascinating story

I wish I had read this before I visited Florence many years ago. Fascinating story.