The Pillars of the Earth
The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. Set in the 12th century, the novel covers the time between the sinking of the White Ship and the murder of Thomas Becket, but focuses primarily on the Anarchy. The book traces the development of Gothic architecture out of the preceding Romanesque architecture, and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory and village against the backdrop of historical events of the time. ---------- See also: - [The Pillars of the Earth: 1/2](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL23632562W) - [The Pillars of the Earth: 2/2](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL23632516W)
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What you might want to know about The Pillars of the Earth
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
In a stretch of twelfth-century England torn by civil war, builder Tom Builder, ambitious prior Philip, the displaced lady Aliena, her brother Richard, and the master mason Jack are pulled into the slow construction of a new cathedral in the small market town of Kingsbridge.
Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series has five books: The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, A Column of Fire, The Evening and the Morning, and The Armor of Light. The series spans more than a thousand years of English history.
Yes. Starz aired an eight-episode adaptation in 2010, followed by World Without End in 2012. Both miniseries are largely faithful to the novels.
The Pillars of the Earth was written by Ken Follett, published in 1989 by Rocco.
The Pillars of the Earth is 1040 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Pillars of the Earth takes most readers 16 to 23 hours to finish.
The Pillars of the Earth is a standalone novel by Ken Follett, not part of a series.
The Pillars of the Earth is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
