The Building of England: How the History of England Has Shaped Our Buildings, Simon Thurley, William Collins, 2013, 544 pp.  £35.00, ISBN, 978 00 7301 140 9.

An adroit book that handsomely links assured scholarship to an effective and accessible accountof the development of English architecture. Both a wonderful present and an assured and significant contribution to knowledge. Well-produced and excellent value.