Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This is the first systematic study of the rose window, one of the most inspiring creations of the Gothic age, both as a feature of the architecture and as an artform in its own right.

With almost three hundred different roses illustrated in stunning original photographs, this sumptuous book will become the definitive study of the subject.

After a brief overview of the history of the rose, the story traces the evolution of the form across nine centuries. There are illuminating explanations of the iconography and the design and building of the rose, giving detailed analysis of the glazing and geometry of key windows such as Lausanne and the Sainte Chapelle.

The rose is placed in its artistic and architectural context to show how it responded to - and often inspired - major stylistic shifts. The book is complete with a country-by-country Gazetteer of rose windows to help plan visits.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Touted as the first complete study of the rose window, this book traces its evolution across nine centuries through text and lavish photos. Cowen, who has spent a lifetime photographing and studying the rose window, here focuses on 300 examples, among them the windows at the Notre Dame, Florence, and New York's St. John the Divine, placing them in both artistic and architectural context. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This splendidly illustrated book fully demonstrates the beauty and fascination of rose windows, and provides a solid, readable, chronological history and thematic study of the genre. Cowen builds on a lifetime of research in the field, and he exhibits his expertise as a photographer. He has written a number of books on English stained glass, plus an earlier, slimmer 1979 book (reprinted in 1990) titled Rose Windows (CH, Sep'79). The text provides a good survey of the origins of the rose, its 13th-century golden age, late medieval curvilinear embellishments, and its postmedieval afterlife into the modern age. Each chapter has a brief section on the "spirit of the age," defining what the rose meant during that era. The subject of rose windows is given a long and thoughtful survey, and the book concludes with study of the geometry, construction, and restoration of these windows. A gazetteer listing all known examples (including related oculi, isolated panels, and ruins) with a map locating them (with close-up focus on the Ile-de-France region) adds to the usefulness of the book. For further in-depth information readers are directed to his Web site . ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All levels. J. Oliver Colgate University

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Painton Cowen has spent the best part of his life photographing and studying stained glass and rose windows in particular. He has published a number of books on glass, including A Guide to Stained Glass in Britain and Six Days: The Making of the Chester Cathedral Creation Window , and often lectures on this and other subjects.