Stan Parry

I am the author of "Great Gothic Cathedrals of France, A Visitor's Guide" which was first published by Viking Studio/Penguin in 2001 and has now been revised into a larger format book with my color photographs by ORO Editions.

I want readers to understand how the buildings were created, where one might sit or stand while contemplating certain aspects of the interior, how to relate the exterior to the interior structure, and how to appreciate the incredible ingenuity and experimentation that caused Gothic architecture to sweep across northern Europe during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

I am a retired public health and cancer research institute executive living in Palo Alto with my wife Melinda, an art historian. Melinda’s knowledge of Christian art and particularly medieval and renaissance iconography has been invaluable. We have traveled across France for over thirty years, and have observed and photographed its grand architecture and beautiful landscape.