7 MAY 1921, Page 22

Byzantine and Romanesque Architecture. By Sir Thomas Graham Jackson. 2

vols. (Cambridge University Press. £4 4s.)—The republication of these volumes is well justified, as the author has revised them in the light of events and know- ledge which have come to hand since the first edition of 1912. He considers that the modern architect should view ancient buildings from the standpoint of archaeology and aesthetics, rather than as edifices to be copied slavishly ; and in this spirit has the book been compiled and illustrated, for, as he says, " Art to be worth anything must be modern and express its own age and no other." The inclusion of excellent historical studies of the social and religious life during each period dealt with marks a noteworthy change from general practice and enables one to grasp more readily "the continuity . . . and the unintentional and unconscious progression of architectural history and the phenomenon of a revival causing the birth of a new style." After the conquest of Constantinople the Moslems allowed only one Christian church to survive—a small building granted to the Christian architect of their first mosque, as a mark of their esteem, and also, possibly, in lieu of fees due. Outside help appears to have been sought invariably for works of any importance—no Turk in any age or in any place having shone either as architect or as master-builder.