Reassessing Nikolaus Pevsner

Peter Draper, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK Paul Crossley, Ute Engel, Stefan Muthesius, Seymour Slive, Adrian Forty, Alexandrina Buchanan, Nicola Coldstream, Lynne Walker, Ian Christie, Andrew Causey, Gillian Naylor, Michela Rosso, Nigel Whiteley.

• Contents: Introduction, Paul Crossley; The intellectual background: The formation of Pevsner's art history: Nikolaus Pevsner in Germany 1902-35, Ute Engel; Germanness, Englishness; Jewishness, scientificness, popularisation?, Stefan Muthesius; Writer and editor: Nikolaus Pevsner's contributions as editor of The Pelican History of Art series, Seymour Slive; Pevsner the writer, Adrian Forty; Nikolaus Pevsner and the architectural writers of the nineteenth century, Alexandrina Buchanan; Englishness and English tradition: Nikolaus Pevsner and medieval studies in Britain, Nicola Coldstream; 'The Greatest Century': Pevsner, Victorian architecture and the lay public, Lynne Walker; What counts as art in England: how Pevsner's minor canons became major, Ian Christie; Pevsner and Englishness, Andrew Causey; Pevsner and the Modern: Good design in British industry, 1950-56, Gillian Naylor; 'The Rediscovery of the Picturesque': Nikolaus Pevsner and the work of architects and planners after the Second World War, Michela Rosso; The puzzled lieber Meister: Pevsner and Reyner Banham, Nigel Whiteley; Bibliography; Index.

'Skilfully edited and refreshingly free from anecdotal trivia...' Bridget Cherry, Building Design '...this book genuinely does what it claims; it reassesses his legacy, and it does so fairly, sensibly, and with a good sense of its subject's limitations... What is so striking - and admirable - about this collection is the extent to which Pevsner's defenders have acknowledged and engaged with the arguments of his critics.' The British Art Journal 'This satisfying volume weaves together many strands, offering its fair share of paradox, and yet convincingly celebrates Pevsner's stated belief in 'the blessings of modesty, faith in service, and a certain neutrality'.' Gillian Darley, The Architectural Review '... a fascinating and detailed exploration of both the man and his work... a fitting academic tribute to the achievements of a man who has had a lasting impact on the way that we appreciate our architectural legacy.' Malcolm Airs, Journal of Architectural Conservation