SAVING MICHELANGELO'S DOME How Three Mathematicians and a Pope Sparked an Architectural Revolution

Architects and mathematicians, in particular, will relish the intricacies of this fine audiobook history of the repairs to St. Peter's dome in Vatican City in the 1740s. But every listener will comprehend the historical shift in thinking that underlies the work. The basilica was designed by Michelangelo but finished after his death, and two centuries later was near collapse. Expertly narrated by Peter Noble, the narrative focuses on the competing proposals for arresting the dome's widening cracks. Most candidates relied on the old scholastic methods of deductive reasoning, but those who prevailed employed the Enlightenment principles of observation and experimentation. The effort and ingenuity are fascinating, and Noble is the ideal voice for the story: steady, supple, keenly attuned to the weight and value of every word. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2025]