Mike Jenner

There are zillions of books about Bath and quite a number specifically about its architecture, so if you're going to add another to their number, you really need a reason why. Jenner's approach with this book is to focus on Classical buildings - those that use designs based on models or "rules" ultimately deriving from Greek or Latin antiquity. (In Bath mostly the latter.) In doing so, Jenner both misses out a lot and includes some absolute gems that have been neglected heretofore. Removing the burden to try to cover everything allows a detailed and comprehensive discussion of what is included under the "Classical" label.

The discussion is forthright; Jenner states his opinions, positive, negative or mixed, robustly and is not afraid to disagree with previous critics. It's also clear when things are a matter of taste and things are a question of facts - and in the latter case a fair assessment of the evidence is presented. The photos are excellent, including some rarely seen and closed to th epublic views that are particularly welcome. There are few interiors, mainly of public buildings - apparently private owners are reluctant to give permission for fear of become burglary targets.

Over-all this is an excellent addition to the literature on Bath architecture. My only criticism is that the glossary of architectural terms should have been more thoroughly compiled - it would probably add only 1-2p to the length of the book to do so.… (meer)