Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres
Gonzalo Fonseca Franklin Center, Pennsylvania: The Franklin Library, 1978. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Format is approximately 7 inches by 9.75 inches. xvi, 367, [1] pages. Illustrations. Index. This is one of The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature a limited edition collection that was published under the auspices of The American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Francis Adams, Abraham Lincoln's ambassador to the United Kingdom. The posting influenced the younger man through the experience of wartime diplomacy, and absorption in English culture, especially the works of John Stuart Mill. After the American Civil War, he became a political journalist who entertained America's foremost intellectuals at his homes in Washington and Boston. During his lifetime, he was best known for The History of the United States of America 1801–1817, a nine-volume work, praised for its literary style, command of the documentary evidence, and deep (family) knowledge of the period and its major figures. His posthumously published memoir, The Education of Henry Adams, won the Pulitzer Prize and went on to be named by the Modern Library as the best English-language nonfiction book of the 20th century. As an academic historian, Adams is considered to have been the first (in 1874–1876) to conduct historical seminar work in the United States. Among his students was Henry Cabot Lodge, who worked closely with Adams as a graduate student. Gonzalo Fonseca (2 July 1922 – 11 June 1997) was a Uruguayan artist known for his stone sculpting. He originally studied to be an architect at the University of Montevideo, but discovered modern art in 1942 after working in the Taller Torres-Garcia workshop. He studied painting in the workshop until 1949, and became interested in pre-Columbian art during that time. Fonseca is frequently associated with the movement Universal Constructivism. In 1904, Adams privately published a copy of his "Mont Saint Michel and Chartres", a pastiche of history, travel, and poetry that celebrated the unity of medieval society, especially as represented in the great cathedrals of France. Originally meant as a diversion for his nieces and "nieces-in-wish", it was publicly released in 1913 at the request of Ralph Adams Cram, an important American architect, and published with support of the American Institute of Architects. He published The Education of Henry Adams in 1907, in a small private edition for selected friends. Only following Adams's death was The Education made available to the general public, in an edition issued by the Massachusetts Historical Society. It ranked first on the Modern Library's 1998 list of 100 Best Nonfiction Books and was named the best book of the 20th century by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a conservative organization that promotes classical education. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1919. Mont Saint Michel and Chartres is a book written by the American historian and scholar Henry Adams (1838–1918). Adams wrote this book, a meditative reflection on medieval culture, well after his historical masterpiece, The History of the United States of America (1801–1817). Mont Saint Michel and Chartres is far more whimsical, a playful meditative reflection on medieval culture. It was published privately in 1904; in 1913, it was made more widely available when published with the support of the American Institute of Architects. Mont Saint Michel and Chartres has garnered high praise: for example, Maurice le Briton said, "Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres is undoubtedly Adams's greatest work; though not apparently related to his earlier writings, this inspired work of poetry is the crowning achievement of his severe and somber historical oeuvre." The Franklin Library was a division of The Franklin Mint that produced fine collector edition books over three decades ending in the year 2000. For this reason all Franklin Library editions are now considered "out of print" and are no longer available for sale from the Franklin Mint. The Franklin Library produced books in three different binding styles referred to as full genuine leather, imitation leather, and quarter bound genuine leather. The full leather bound editions were produced through out the Franklin Library's full life span and the other two styles (imitation and quarter bound) were only produced through the 1970's and 80's. Below are some of the characteristics found in all Franklin Library editions along with more detailed information about the different binding styles. All Editions: • High quality paper; • Pages that are sewn not glued into the binding; • Gold gilded page edges on all three sides; • Raised spine bands that give each book that distinctive antique look. The genuine full leather bound editions are the highest quality of the three. While most characteristics remained constant through out the different series and years of production the style of end papers varied from silk moiré to decorative paper. Some of the characteristics that remained constant: • Full genuine leather binding; • 22k. gold lettering and stampings on the spine and covers; and • Attached silk page marker. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Mont Saint Michiel, Mont-Saint-Michel, Chanson de Roland, Merveille, Normandy, Ile de France, Chartres, Nicolette, Marion, Notre Dame, Abelard, Mystics, Stain Thomas Aquinas
[Book #85530]
Price: $175.00