Full of Grace is a rare gem: elegantly written, beautifully illustrated, theologically and historically sound, ecumenically-minded, and a potential delight to all, even those who think they have no interest in the Virgin Mary. This is a book to be savored, and returned to time and time again—a great companion and guide on the road to enlightenment. — Carlos Eire, National Book Award-winning author of Waiting For Snow In Havana
Judith Dupré has taken one of the oldest subjects in our human story and made her new. With simple, beautifully told (and often hilarious) stories on the nature of faith and doubt, and a gorgeous panorama of art-through-the-ages, Full of Grace brings the Virgin Mary fully alive. — Nora Gallagher, author of Things Seen and Unseen and Changing Light
Given all that the Virgin Mary has meant to people over the centuries, trying to imagine her is as impossible an undertaking as trying to imagine Woman herself. Yet thousands of artists have managed to do so with brilliant specificity. Judith Dupré has gathered together some of their art, along with specific imaginings of her own, in a beautiful and provocative introduction to one of the most resonant figures in religious history. —Judith Shulevitz, author of The Sabbath World
We may take Full of Grace as a personal guidebook. Using a conversational tone, Judith Dupré brings together art, religious history, and secular references to show how the courage and beauty of the mother of Jesus may be found within us all. —Ana Castillo, author of So Far From God
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Whether design is manifested in an intricate piece of embroidery or a massive housing complex, it seems that an alchemy of style, skill and inspiration is required for something of true distinction to emerge…Judith Dupré expands on architectural wonders of a contemporary sort in Skyscrapers. The tall, slender volume — perfect for displaying skyscraper images — includes historical profiles of 62 of these feats of modern design and engineering.—Lisa Rossi, Wall Street Journal, December 19, 2008, on Skyscrapers
Dupré’s book is an exposition of the American monument in all of its iterations. She explains that the book is not meant to be read linearly, but was designed to create individualized reading experiences, where readers themselves choose how to engage the array of photographs, essays and marginal commentaries. Monuments is a sheer delight to read in this dip-in, dip-out, skip-around fashion….Vivid and entertaining, informative and thought provoking….generous in its commitment to the multiple communities that collectively make up the United States. —Theodore Prescott, American Arts Quarterly, Summer 2008
Dupré is a scholar with a novelist’s eye for detail and a journalist’s easy style. . . The sheer energy of the American people comes through on every page. . . [a] learned and wise discussion of self-sacrifice, death, and loss. — Barry Strauss, The New Criterion, March 2008, on Monuments
Dupré has demonstrated an impressive capability for producing important studies on large, ambitious topics in architecture and engineering history. . . [she] is one of the few historians who use photographs, drawings, prints, and paintings as original evidence in themselves rather than as mere illustrations of a texturally delivered argument. —Bernard F. Reilly, President, The Center for Research Libraries, Chicago
This visually arresting book is vintage Dupré (Churches; Skyscrapers). The stylish architectural historian examines 37 monuments (from the Liberty Bell and the Alamo to Oklahoma City) for what they reveal about those they commemorate, those who designed them and those who visit them… The 180-plus black-and-white photos are as absorbing as the text, and additional material, like an interview with a stone carver who worked on the National World War II Memorial in D.C., enriches the volume… [A] lavish, thoughtful tome.” —Publisher’s Weekly on Monuments, Sept 24, 2007
Following her popular books on skyscrapers, bridges, and churches, architectural historian Dupré turns her keenly incisive gaze on monuments. Enlivening and fascinating insights…. Poignant and profound back stories. —Booklist, Nov 1, 2007
Ms. Dupré thoughtfully explains the cultural significance of more than three dozen monuments that symbolize society’s insatiable search for physical and spiritual echoes of the past. —Sam Roberts, New York Times, December 9, 2007.
The reader is invited to browse through, stopping here and there, noting the juxtaposition of images that demand thoughtful attention, and then sometimes reading the commentary after the fact. This is, of course, just the way a visitor would see a monument – noticing the object and its surroundings first, and then seeking out the plaque with the explanation of its significance. Thus this book, a monument in itself, is a work of art and an invitation to think about just how and what we do remember and why consciousness about this process is so important. —Robin Jensen in Faith & Form, December 2007, on Monuments
[A] thoughtful and readable survey of America’s great memorials to war and disaster, heroic deeds and heinous acts, and outstanding leaders and everyday citizens. . moving and instructive. —Ann Landi, ArtNews, March 2008, on Monuments
Magisterial, meticulously researched, and handsomely illustrated. —O, The Oprah Magazine, on Churches
Judith Dupré captivates the eye, mind and imagination. —Ireen E. Kudra, New York Times, December 7, 1997, on Bridges
I have never read a page in a book by Judith Dupré without learning something I didn’t know before, something captivating. —Dave Brussat, “Why I Worship Churches,” The Providence Journal Bulletin, November 8, 2001
Judith Dupré is making a name for herself in book publishing with one volume after another of gorgeously designed and illustrated bestsellers in the field of architecture. . . . Dupré’s accompanying text, based on wide research and interviews with architects and religious historians, is generous with facts, bright with anecdotes, and personal to the extent that the author voices her own analyses, occasionally sardonic, of what makes a religious edifice original and aesthetically superior. —Frederick M. Winship, United Press International, October 18, 2001
Entitled simply Churches, Judith Dupré’s unique coffee-table book features stunning full-color photography of some of the world’s most recognizable churches. The book highlights some of the oldest Christian houses of worship, such as Jerusalem’s Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, and more recent additions, such as California’s Crystal Cathedral and the MIT Chapel. The photography is simply first-rate. — Publishers Weekly, 2001
Dupre’s text goes beyond the required historical, architectural and engineering details to proffer insights into the transcendent.—Larry B. Stammer, Los Angeles Times, June 30, 2002, on Churches
If ever you wanted to educate yourself about the history of baldacchinos, baptismal fonts or the building of Gothic cathedrals, then Judith Dupré’s Churches is the book for you. . . . a profusion of fascinating facts and beautiful photography. —Patricia Dane Rogers, The Washington Post, December 13, 2001
The architectural and historical information is as fascinating as the breathtaking photography. —The Houston Chronicle, December 1, 2001
[Dupre has] taken the scholarly subject of architecture and turned it into a publishing phenomenon (Skyscrapers is one of the best-selling architecture books ever). But in Churches, she has raised her impressive standards by several levels, creating a masterpiece of book-making that is as pleasing to hold as it is to look view and read. —Harold Bubil, Sarasota Herald Tribune, November 16, 2001
Churches is a wide-ranging and nuanced survey. . . Bottom Line: Stunning ecclesiastical eye-candy, learned text, and at $35 perhaps the best bargain in Christendom. —Ann Prichard, USA Today, November 29, 2001
The book’s most amazing accomplishment is to provide readers with sensations that approximate both the grandeur and the intimacy of visiting the churches it depicts. —Michael Joseph Gross, Amazon.com
In a coffee-table book format with stunning imagery, fascinating essays, and an innovative design, Dupré offers a nuanced portrait of each structure, blending its architectural history with a deep appreciation for art and a reverence for religious traditions. —Associated Church Press, November 2001
Bridges, the playfully extra-wide sequel to her extra-tall Skyscrapers, is both a tribute and a trivia trove. —J. Kingston Pierce, Historic Traveler, February 1998
If you know someone who is remotely interested in bridges, Bridges: A History of the World’s Most Famous and Important Spans by Judith Dupre, is the book to give. Dupré introduces the reader to more that 50 bridges around the world. Through pictures, maps, facts, quotations, and an essay of two pages per bridge, the reader discovers an astonishing union of technology and art. —Susan L. Sweetnam, Christian Science Monitor, Thursday December 4, 1997
Dupré makes the most of a century of neck-craning architecture. . . the book uses its unusual shape to play up black-and-white photos, stacks of facts, history and highlights. —Patricia Dane Rogers, The Washington Post, November 7, 1996, on Skyscrapers
Breathtaking. Magnificent. Unique. Very special. Exquisite. One of a kind. Well-researched. Beautifully designed. Those are not words I normally use when reviewing real estate books. But this unusual book deserves all of them. . .On my scale of one to 10, this outstanding book rates an off-the-chart 12. –Robert J. Bruss, Tribune Media Services, December 8, 1996, on Skyscrapers