THE CATHEDRALS OF NORMANDY By Jocelyn Perkins The Gothic architecture
of Normandy has a ' peculiar interest for the English student, since it represents a halfway house between the pure French Gothic of the Ile-de-France and that of our own country, and we may imagine that Normandy was one of the most important sources of direct , influence on our mediaeval. builders. In his Cathedrals of Normandy (Methuen, 8s. 6d.) Dr. Perkins .does not aim at • giving a complete survey of the architecture of the district,' Since only churches which are or have been cathedrals are i included, and therefore even monuments of such importance as the great Abbey churches of Caen are necessarily omitted. But in the more limited field which he has chosen the author supplies much valuable material for judging Norman Gothic. The arrangement of the book is admirable : the section on : each cathedral is divided into two parts, the first containing a general history of the building and of the most important people connected with it, the second being a guide to be taken round the actual building, with helpful notes on all the details. Some of the history is perhaps a little over-picturesque and there are a few small mistakes. There seems, for instance, to be a con- fusion of dates on p. 180, and we wonder in what sense the volute referred to on p. 275 is Corinthian, - It is also a pity that the .names of three out of the six cathedrals discussed should be inikirinted on the wrapper.
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