Review
"This is a work that will rank with the major modern scholarly inquiries into Gothic architecture... Mark is not a victim, as so many pure aestheticians are, of the fallacy of seeing Gothic cathedrals as physical objects only. For him, they are the product of complex social, economic, and cultural forces, from the growth of liquid capital as a result of the Crusades to the increasing technical abilities of masons and craftsmen. Neither is he swayed by their mystique. He explains cathedrals as a teacher might explain a fact of mathematics, and yet he makes one comprehend how remarkable was the achievement of their builders." - Paul Goldberger, "Discover"
