Some years ago I was asked to write descriptions of twelve of theE ng-lish cathedrals forT he Century Magazine, and was promised the invaluable help of Mr. Pennell sdrawings. A summer in England was the immediate result, and the final result is this book, the text of which, although not much extended, has been largely rewritten since the chapters severally appeared in the magazine. This revision, forced upon my conscience by a wider acquaintance with French architecture than I previously possessed, has, I believe, made the critical passages more instructive, and increased the trustworthiness of my estimate of English mediaeval architecture as a whole. France as I always knew, but never thoroughly realized until I traveled through all its provinces three years ago held the cradle of Gothic art, and nursed it to its fullest stature and noblest strength; and no account of the Gothic styles of any other land can be clear or just which does not constantly keep in the readers mind French aims, expedients, and achievements. An amateur myself, I need hardly confess that this is a book for amateurs, not for architects. It is for those who love, rather than for those who want to study, architecture. Yet I have tried to make it a book such as architects would be willing to put into the hands of ignorance.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

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