1 APRIL 1876, Page 21

C.URRENT LITERATURE. -

The Habitations of Man in All Ages. By Eugene Violist-le-Duo. Translated by Benjamin Bucknall. (Sampson Low and Co.)—The author of this volume combines, as indeed he has already proved more than once, literary skill with professional knowledge in no common degree. He has availed himself of the information that can be got about what is sometimes an obscure subject, and a vigorous imagina- tion, which is, however, always under restraint, assists him to fill up the gaps. From the rude dwellings of prehistoric man, shelters of boughs and clay, scarcely better than what some races of quadrupeds and birds construct for themselves, he takes us down to the splendid constructions of modern days. There are many digressions on the way.

We visit the Aryans, in the seats which they occupied during the time of the unity, 2Egypt, Assyria, the Asiatic and the Mainland Greeks, the great country-houses of Imperial Rome, the splendid buildings which the Saracens erected in Spain, and other ages and places which it would be long to enumerate. Two personages, gifted with perpetual youth, Rpergos and Denies, who represent respectively the progressive and the stationary principle, are introduced, and are skilfully employed to give a certain unity to the work. M. Viollet-le-Duc does not fail to utter through their mouths certain lively reflections on different habits of thought among his contemporaries. Occasionally, a well-told historical episode is introduced, as under the "Feudal Period," the death of Charles, son of the Duke of Lorraine. To most of us who must be con- tent to live in houses over the arrangement of which we can have little or no control, this volume will have an interest chiefly literary. But it has a lesson for those persons, professional or other, who have to build, and the lesson is one which, simple and obvious as it is, not only indi- viduals, but whole generations seem of ten to neglect,—that the habita- tion should be suited to the circumstances of the inhabitant.