An English Farmhouse., By Geoffrey Grigson. (Max - Parrish. 21s.) Tins book,
" mainly about the stony and wooden details of a farm- stead in the south of England," is not at first sight particularly readable ; but gradually, as Mr. Grigson fills in detail after detail in his picture of this small, rather remote area—its soil, vegetation, social history and, above all, its buildings—the reader becomes fascinated with the sense of continuity, and the smallest object takes on significance. Mr. Grigson ignores people as individuals ; there are no character sketches. His themes are chalk, sarsen stones, galvanised iron, lichens—all seen in historical and literary per- spective, but also from a practical point of view, for he knows their qualities, the way materials are worked, which best withstands the weather. Nor is the book all detail. There are general conclu- sions to be drawn from this small pocket of country-that it was not individual good taste that made the buildings of the past comely but strong local utilitarian tradition, and that it is tradition which is lacking today. The many coloured photographs, concentrating like Mr. Grigson on the details of wood and stone, are as satisfactory as colour photography can be and serve the text in a way that black and white work could not.
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