Eight Chapters on English Mediaeval Art. By E. S. Prior.
(Cambridge University Press. 6s. net.) Ever since the publication of his History of Gothic Art in England in 1900 Professor Prior has been known as the cham- pion of English Gothic as an original and indigenous art, and in the present excellent little book he makes the same claim and supports it with ample historical and artistic evidence. His treatment of the subject is extremely inter- esting. By viewing the development and decay of Gothic
architecture in the light of its contemporary history, he shows it as a vital and human thing, an organic part of the national consciousness, and not (as so many treatises tend to make it appear) a more or less isolated phenomenon, such as postage stamps, with no roots in the emotional life of the community. Professor Prior has much to say of building as a craft, of the psychology of the craftsman, and of the reactions of the one upon the other. All who are interested in English history and English architecture will find Professor Prior's book a delightful and inspiring contribution to both subjects.
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