Brilliant "Pippo" Brunelleschi wrote many of his construction ideas in secret code so they couldn't be stolen by competitors; determined Antônio Francisco Lisboa created stunning sculptures and churches in spite of the disfiguring disease that caused his fingers and toes to fall off; eccentric Antoni Gaudí became so obsessed with the cathedral he was building that he set up a cot on the construction site so he could live there full-time.

From the domes of Florence to the mosques of Turkey, from the Eiffel Tower to the Chrysler Building, every civilization is defined, at least in part, by the energy and creativity embodied in its greatest building projects. Many of the world's most amazing architectural wonders were assembled by the combined effort of thousands of unnamed workers. However, these great monuments often owe their inspiration, design, and construction to the unique vision and unyielding passion of a single talented builder.

Bo Zaunders and Roxie Munro offer a stunning tour of the lives and legacies of several such master builders, whose work spans five centuries and six countries. Often humorous, sometimes tragic, always intriguing, these true stories of genius and perseverance make for rich and inspiring reading.

From the dust jacket