THE HOUSE—INSIDE AND OUT
By G. M. Boumphrey
Under the general editorship of Mr. G. M. Botimphrey, who himself directed and took part in each of the talks, the discussions recently broadcast on The House—Inside and Out are here reprinted with certain additions (Allen and Unwin, 3s.). With a view to helping the prospective house-buyer to guard against obvious faults of construction, the general process of building a house is simply described. A miscellany of useful information includes advice about the use of plain materials, the setting of the damp course, the construction of flues, the proper angle of window .sills, the pointing of window frames, the adaptation of style to surroundings, and the necessity for shunning fake half-timbering, stained glass, thinly constructed bay windows and the other monstrosities known to the speculative builder as "selling features." In general, the hoase-buyer is urged with not unnecessary vehemence to insist upon a plain, solid and convenient house. As far as situation is concerned, he I; reminded of the importance of subsoil,aspect, transport and general amenities. Later. chapters addressed to the tenant explain the uses of the Public Health and Housing Aets4. In a plea for town planning, the point is stressed that we are emerging from a long period of aesthetie vulgarity and that the machinations of the ,SpeculatiVe builder can be defeated ultimately only by the reassertion of natural good taste. Without this renaissance, public works *ill be no more successful than private enterprise. In the formation of that opinion compounded of practical 'sense and aesthetic 'sensibility upon Vehichthe right develnprnent of town planning depends, such a series as the present Is., eminently -useful. It is to be regretted, however, that- wane *imity could not have been imposed. upon these miscellaneous essays by the insertion of an introductory article dealing with -Ow general principles governing the best domestic architecture today.
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