The Pillars of the Earth

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The Pillars of the Earth

First edition
Author	Ken Follett
Language	English
Genre	Historical fiction
Publisher	Macmillan
Publication date	1989
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	print
Pages	806
ISBN	978-0333519837
Preceded by	The Evening and the Morning
Followed by	World Without End

The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by British 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.

Before this novel was published, Follett was known for writing in the thriller genre. The Pillars of the Earth became his best-selling work. It was made into an 8-part miniseries in 2010, and a video game in 2017. The book was listed at no. 33 on the BBC's Big Read, a 2003 survey with the goal of finding the "nation's best-loved book".^[1] The book was selected in the United States for Oprah's Book Club in 2007. It is the first published book in Follett's Kingsbridge Series. Three sequels and a prequel, each set in Kingsbridge during a different century, were published from 2007 to 2023.