If you learn anything from "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling" it's that the famed artist didn't paint the Sistine Chapel vault while lying on his back.

(You'll also learn than Michelangelo had bad personal hygiene--"never wash yourself," he would say--and that he sometimes went so long without removing his boots that when he did remove them, "the skin came away like a snake's with the boots." )

Aside from the aforementioned revelation, which can humbly be used at cocktail parties (of which I don't attend), you'll find almost all parts of the book fascinating.

Michelangelo said the "world was a place of tears." No wonder.

Pope Julius II, the man who commissioned Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, was called the "Warrior Pope" whose main ambition was "ensuring the power and glory of the papacy."

Michelangelo even suspected Julius II of trying to have him killed. Key word: trying. (Julius II considered Michelangelo a genius -- and knew their legacies would be entwined.)

These were challenging times circa 1500 Rome. Syphilis and homosexuality were rife among the clergy. Wars were fought and won and lost. Rome was bathed in urine. And nearly every aspect of the Roman Church was for sale.

Nonetheless, as geniuses toiled away, Martin Luther was growing disillusioned with the church.

Julius II gave the world both Michelangelo and Raphael. Among others. Ironically, Pope Julius II started the use of "indulgences" to pay for it. And Martin Luther would have something to say about that.

Two things: I have a degree in Art History, but it is 20 years old.

I am a working librarian (MLS), rabid about historical facts, but must read so much that I am apt to skim if something does not hold my interest.

A challenge in any historical book is relating the facts without boring us silly. Many authors try to get around this by making up conversations and/or speculating on characters' motivations. This author does not do that--rather, he does make guesses as to why whoever did what, but always says it's his educated guess. His disinclination to make up converstions may be why some reviewers thought his writing was dry, but he also included translations of letters between Michelangelo and others that spiced things up admirably.

I loved the love-hate relationship among Michelangelo, his patrons, and his rivals. I enjoyed the frequent tangents which I felt put things in historical persprective. I didn't even mind the small size of the colorplates, because these days many of them can be Googled in a few minutes, and making the illustrations larger would have made the book too expensive. I DID mind that some of the illustrations had no dates, making it difficult to compare how one artist may have influenced another. That could have been fixed without making the book more costly.

I read and enjoyed every word.

Fascinating historical account of how the ceiling was painted along with the drama of Michelangelo's life. I had no idea how the church operated during this period of time. That was equally as interesting as the history of fresco painting. If you are an artist or Catholic, it's a must read!!

It is amazing how much we know about this great sculptor and painter. The book is simply attractive, with some drops of humor the author takes you back to Renaissance Italy, full of artists and dominated by a rotten Catholic Church that left much to be desired. This was the time of Michelangelo, the time when living in Rome was dangerous because of malaria and other diseases, days with particular Popes like "il Papa Terribile", that nauseated Martin Luther but to whom we can be thankful for those great works of art comissioned by him and others. Despite all the information we have about Michelangelo, I am still curious about his personal life, a life of struggle and unhappiness with himself. This is one of the books you have to read before visiting Rome or Florence.

As a young person, I began to learn about Michelangelo's painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel through watching the film, "The Agony and the Ecstasy." Later, I read the Irving Stone novel that had been the basis for the Hollywood treatment of the story. In 1996, in a visit to Rome, I was able to behold the legendary ceiling with my own eyes.

When I learned that the writer and researcher, Ross King, had written a book about the painting of the ceiling, based on his assiduous and painstaking assessment of thousands of documents and interviews, I knew I had to read the book. I had already been delighted and informed by King when I read his account of the building of the Duomo in Florence, "Brunelleschi's Dome." This account of the struggle between Michelangelo and Pope Julius II also includes a cast of characters from rival artist Raphael to Martin Luther. Although carefully annotated to lead serious students to primary sources, the narrative is written in a very readable and enjoyable way. King debunks much of the Hollywood hype and the misconceptions that have surrounded the legend of the painting of the Sistine Chapel. The true story is no less intriguing than the myth that had been built up over the centuries, brush stroke by brush stroke.

I was struck by the juxtaposition of the personal styles of Michelangelo and Raphael, who worked and lived in close proximity to each other at the Vatican. Raphael was almost always surrounded by an entourage of young artists and assistants whom he was mentoring and teaching. Michelangelo, in contradistinction, used assistants only grudgingly and never took them under his wing as protégés. It seems to me that God often singles out the least likely vessels to contain and to serve as conduits for his most glorious treasures and works of genius. I think of Mozart, as well as Michelangelo, and am reminded of the word of the Apostle Paul: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show us that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Corinthians 4:7)

However flawed Michelangelo may have been in his humanity, his artistry and the works of his hands remain to inspire and to induce awe in those of us fortunate to behold them.

King's treatment of the artist and his work in the Sistine Chapel frames beautifully the man and the magic of his work.

Enjoy.

Al