Tilt: A Skewed History of the Tower of Pisa

Shrady, Nicholas

ISBN 10: 0143034502 / ISBN 13: 9780143034506

Edité par Penguin Books; Pelican, Harmondsworth, 2004

A propos de cet article

xxiii, 161 pages, illustrations, 1 map; 20 cm. Good+. Tight, clean copy. Light shelfwear to wraps, age toning. *** "In Tilt, author Nicholas Shrady reveals how the campanile, or bell tower, in Pisa's Campo dei Miracoli became the iconic Tower of Pisa. Even standing straight and true, the tower's marble and lime fa ade would be instantly recognizable the world over. Yet its distinctive tilt, which measured 1.6 degrees from vertical when construction was completed in 1370, has long been a mystery. Was it the result of shoddy workmanship or the brainchild of a hunchback maestro who skewed the tower to avenge his own condition? Nearly a millennium since its construction, the tower still stands (more than 4 meters -- or 5 degrees -- askew) in defiance of logic, gravity, and soaring odds -- a mute witness to history as it has unfolded. Envisioned as a display of wealth and power in Pisa's medieval heyday, the tower was revolutionary in its design. Architectural sleight of hand lent the campanile the appearance of weightlessness even as it supported seven colossal bronze bells. Technical achievements and rare beauty aside, it is the tower's glaring folly that has attracted legions of admirers and would-be saviors -- even as it alarmed engineers. In addition to having defied the known laws of physics, the tower's cylindrical masonry has concealed a storied past. Galileo was said to have launched his experiments on the velocity of falling bodies from atop its heights. Lord Byron, the Shelleys, and their Romantics frolicked in its listing shadow. Benito Mussolini tried to right the tower by ordering that cement be injected into its foundation. During World War II, the "Tiltin' Hilton" was a suspected enemy hideout and narrowly escaped being bombed. Following a $30 million stabilization and restoration effort lasting more than a decade and into the twenty-first century, Pisa's Leaning Tower has been preserved for the ages as an architectural marvel and a paragon of modern tourism. Tilt encapsulates the tower's singular history in a hugely entertaining and informative narrative, by turns learned and whimsical, reverent and surprising. Here is a 'biography' that, like its subject, is all the more delightful for its thorough improbability. It is a celebration of inspired vision and human machinations, of supreme ambition and spiritual enlightenment, of science and superstition, of faith and miracles. / Nicholas Shrady is the author of Sacred Roads: Adventures from the Pilgrimage Trail. His articles have appeared in Architectural Digest, The New York Times Book Review, Travel & Leisure, Forbes, and Town & Country. Since 1986, he has made his home in Barcelona. His wife, Eva Ortega, and his sons divide their time between Barcelona and their olive grove in the hills above the Ebro Delta." - Publisher. Size: 8vo.

N° de réf. du vendeur 020378

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Tilt: A Skewed History of the Tower of Pisa
• Éditeur: Penguin Books; Pelican, Harmondsworth
• Date de parution: 2004
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0143034502
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780143034506
• Reliure: Paperback
• Édition: Edition originale
• État de l'article: Good
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • A BARGAIN BASEMENT
  • XS::Small
  • Architecture::Historic Preservation
  • European::4. Renaissance

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Book by Shrady Nicholas

Revue de presse

Praise for SACRED ROADS
'An ambitious undertaking . . . There is much here that is fascinating, and his pocket histories of the world religions are immaculate' Edward Marriott, THE TIMES
''Rich in anecdote and incident. He is kidnapped by dacoits, watches an old man drown himself in the Ganges, dozes off in a Bosnian nativity crib and is beaten at a check-point on the road to Bethlehem . . [an] informative travelogue of the world's religions, by "a pilgrim of sorts, the sceptical sort"' James Irvine, TLS
'Shrady is a vivid writer. The physical contours of these places come alive as he describes them' LOS ANGELES TIMES
'Shrady unites incisive, often humorous writing with thoughts on the religious faiths he seeks to understand . . . In this sincere narrative, Shrady wonderfully combines travelogues with spiritual ruminations' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'An engaging blend of travel and religious writing, and Nicholas Shrady is a trustworthy guide . . . For anyone, agnostic or saint, who is intrigued by the links between travel and spirituality, SACRED ROADS is a must' WASHINGTON POST
PRAISE FOR TILT:
'Gripping... Shrady's narrative is never less than fascinating, expertly guiding readers through historical romance, adventure, warfare and the technical wizardry of preserving this magic monument from self-destruction. As an enthralling slice of history, it is impossible to overrate the charm, as well as the importance, of this book' GOOD BOOK GUIDE
"Shrady charts the birth, life and rescue of the tower. And he is equally scholarly and whimsical, awe-struck and humorous."
--Austin American-Statesman

"A shrewd little combination history, travelogue and architecture/engineering analysis of what must be Earth's pre-eminent weird building. Shrady, an accomplished architecture critic and writer, keeps tight focus--and the events and arguments are often rollicking."
--The Baltimore Sun
"Shrady's...account of the tower's probable fate is concise and engaging."
--Publisher's Weekly

"A...top-drawer chronicle of Pisa's wonderful, drunken campanile. Comfortably erudite, Shrady covers the tower's history without diminishing its gratifying improbability."
--Kirkus

"Elegant and informative"
--Newsday

"Tilt is an absolutely fascinating look--complete with eye-popping slanted design--at one of the most fascinating humanmade structures in the world. Long may it tilt."
--Chicago Tribune
'Admirable...Excellent and highly readable...Shrady ferrets out some delicious morsels' INDEPENDENT
'To his credit, Shrady reflects the most up-to-date thinking' BUILDING DESIGN
'Lucid and engaging . . . Highly recommended' THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
'Fascinating story. This is an enjoyable history' CONTEMPORARY REVIEW
“Nicholas Shrady chronicles the ever-increasing lean of the tower with wit and scholarship”
Murrough, O'Brien, Independent on Sunday 20/6