The great European cathedrals of the 11th to the 16th centuries -- Chartres, Strasbourg, and Milan, to name a few -- are monuments known around the world. But how were they commissioned, designed, and built? Historian Francois Icher has written a lively, detailed account of the process by which these architectural masterpieces were erected. Icher explains how bishops and wealthy patrons funded these projects and chose the architects and master builders,...