Kite (Cardiff U., Wales) has distilled his close reading of Ruskin's journals to elucidate the latter's developing conception of architecture, and specifically, the Gothic architectural forms of Lucca, Murano, Milan, Monza, Venice, and Verona. Kite stays close to Ruskin's writings as he describes the physical context of the cities and churches Ruskin describes, recreating the paths Ruskin took, and commenting on Ruskin's developing notions of architectural form and decoration. The volume is copiously illustrated with b&w plates of superb quality. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)