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Inside the Vatican (National Geographic)
by: Bart Mcdowell

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 945.634
EAN: 9780792252979
ISBN: 0792252977
Label: National Geographic
Manufacturer: National Geographic
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 232
Publication Date: June 01, 2005
Publisher: National Geographic
Release Date: June 01, 2005
Sales Rank: 66344
Studio: National Geographic

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
This lavishly illustrated guide through the Vatican captures the people, the treasures, and the inner workings of the center of the Roman Catholic Church. Bart McDowell takes readers through centuries of Vatican history, describing the days of the Roman Empire, the glorious years of the Renaissance, the power struggle between Church and State that endured from the late 7th century until 1929, and much more. Since the center of the Roman Catholic Church is also the world's smallest nation, McDowell explains religious matters, such as the process of canonization, and governmental operations of the Vatican-highlighted by a visit with Pope John Paul II as he attends to his many daily duties. Photographer James L. Stanfield spent nearly a year inside the Vatican with unprecedented access to its museums, ceremonies, and people. His full-color photographs show art that few visitors to the Vatican have the chance to see-works of such masters as Michelangelo and Raphael-and provide private viewings of Pope John Paul II's quarters, the necropolis beneath St. Peter's Basilica, and world-renowned libraries. Through these beautiful and exclusive photographs and the revealing text that accompanies them, Inside the Vatican celebrates a small, dynamic community unique in the world.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- very nice read
I bought the book because I am interested in Italian Renaissance art. In this aspect it is a little bit disappointing. There should be far more interesting art objects than is covered. It was very nice to read about the history of the Vatican, to get a feeling for every day life in the Vatican. The knowledge in this book is important to better understand the position of art in relation to the ruling popes during the Renaissance.
I very much liked the photo's. They show the real craftmanship of James Stanfield. The three star rating is because the description seems to promise more about the Renaissance art than is given.

Rating:

- The Vatican on your coffee table
Having been to the Vatican in person, I know how hard it is to take (good) pictures of all the things there. The Vatican city with its myriad of art collections, museum, and antiquity-filled storerooms has something for everyone who likes art or history.
This book does a great job of capturing the feeling of the city, and hits every major masterpiece in the place. Unfortunately, there are some masterpieces that could have used more explanation or exploration, in particular, "La Pieta," and "The Last Judgement." This, for me, warranted the loss of a "perfect" score. Both of these works have a fascinating history, and tell volumes about the artist (Michaelangelo) himself.
If you can't make it to the Vatican yourself, this book is the next best thing.

Rating:

- Honestly! I expected more "inside" info or pictures.
Well, I guess part of the problem is that I expected to see more of the "inside" information and pictures in this book. It is more of a picture book with a few notations and some small feature type articles, but nothing really mind-blowing. I thought there would be more pictures of the "never before seen", but it was not meant to be.

Still, it does have beautiful pictures of the Holy See. Not a total loss, it is very aesthetically pleasing.

Rating:

- FABULOUS!
Absolutely gorgeous and chock full of fascinating information written from a very personal perspective. Well done.

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