This beautiful and authoritative book is the first to examine the development of Gothic sculpture throughout Europe. It discusses not only the most famous monuments — such as the cathedrals of Chartres, Amiens, and Reims, Westminster Abbey, and the Siena Duomo — but also less familiar buildings in France, England, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Scandinavia. Numerous illustrations — including photographs taken specially for the book — accompany the text. For the student or general reader, this book sets a standard in the field and will remain indispensable for many years to come. Richard Camber, Antique International Paul Williamson has produced a miracle of clarity and compression in the latest volume of the Pelican History of Art... His subject is one of the most challenging and most studied subjects in Western art: the birth, growth and development of Gothic sculpture in its first 150 years. Michael Hall, Country Life Beautifully produced and judiciously written.... Williamson's is a book which has helped vindicate the genre of the synoptic survey and provide a superb text for students as well as a new foundation for specialist research.