The Pillars of the Earth was published by Macmillan in 1989. A radical departure from the spy thrillers that had made Follett’s name, it is a 1,000-page historical novel set in England between 1135 and 1174 — the period of the Anarchy, the civil war between Stephen and Matilda for the English throne. The central narrative is the building of a Gothic cathedral in the fictional priory town of Kingsbridge.
Tom Builder, a master mason, dreams of building a cathedral. Prior Philip of Kingsbridge needs one built. Their alliance drives the constructive plot — the decades-long effort to raise the stone. Against them is William Hamleigh, a brutal earl’s son whose attacks on Kingsbridge provide the destructive counter-plot. The novel follows four generations of characters through famine, war, plague, and political upheaval.
Follett spent three years researching medieval architecture, monasticism, and the wool trade. The novel was initially a commercial risk — his publisher doubted whether thriller readers would follow him into the twelfth century — but it became his most successful book, selling over 27 million copies worldwide. It spawned a direct sequel (World Without End, 2007) and an entire Kingsbridge series.
Collecting The Pillars of the Earth
First edition (Macmillan, London, 1989): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- UK first edition, fine in jacket: $200–$500
- US first edition (Morrow): $100–$300
- Signed first: $500–$1,200
Projected values (2026–2036): Strong appreciation. Follett’s masterpiece, one of the bestselling novels of the twentieth century.
Building the Cathedral
The Pillars of the Earth (1989) spans forty years of twelfth-century English life, following the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. Follett weaves together a master builder, a monk, an outlaw noblewoman, and a host of villains in a narrative that uses the cathedral as both setting and metaphor: the aspiration to build something permanent and beautiful in a world of war, plague, and political treachery. The novel has sold over 27 million copies worldwide and was adapted as a television miniseries in 2010.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ken Follett? Ken Follett (b. 1949) is a Welsh-born novelist who has sold over 170 million copies of his books worldwide. He first achieved fame with the spy thriller Eye of the Needle (1978) and later pivoted to historical fiction with The Pillars of the Earth. He lives in London and Hertfordshire and is one of the world’s bestselling living authors.