Amazon.com description: Product Description: Ken Follett had long been a staple of the bestseller lists for his novels of intrigue and espionage. Then came "The Pillars of the Earth," a grand novel of epic storytelling that readers and critics quickly hailed as his crowning achievement. Now, "The Pillars of the Earth" is available for the first time to a new audience of readers, in this attractive new trade paperback edition. In 12th-century England, the building of a mighty Gothic cathedral signals the dawn of a new age. This majestic creation will bond clergy and kings, knights and peasants together in a story of toil, faith, ambition and rivalry. A sweeping tale of the turbulent middle ages, "The Pillars of the Earth" is a masterpiece from one of the world's most popular authors. "A novel of majesty and power...Will hold you, fascinate you, surround you." -- "Chicago Sun-Times" "A towering tale...There's murder, arson, treachery, torture, love, and lust...A good time can be had by all." -- "New York Daily News" "Touches all human emotions...truly a novel to get lost in." -- "Cosmopolitan"