Calvert, Albert Frederick. Alhambra of Granada. *$15. Lane.
The history which forms the background of this volume covers the Moslem rule from the reign of Mohammed to the expulsion of the Moors. “The Alhambra or the Red castle, will ever, in spite of its lamentable state of decay, take first rank, on account of the combined beauty and variety of its ornamentation, and the thrilling memories with which it is associated.... The author lays great stress in the preface to his first edition on the fact that he has given pride of place to the pictorial side of his volume, making his chief appeal to the public by the beauty and variety of the illustrations he has collected, which include nearly 500 reproductions in black-and-white of details of architecture, and over 100 in colour of typical decoration.” (Int. Studio.)
“Mr. Calvert has a profound knowledge of the Alhambra as it is now and as it was at every stage of its chequered life-story, and he has the gift of imparting that knowledge in an impressive and satisfying manner.”
| + + | Int. Studio. 31: 164. Ap. ’07. 310w. | |
| N. Y. Times. 12: 666. O. 19, ’07. 30w. |
Calvert, Albert Frederick. [Escorial]: a historical and descriptive account of the Spanish royal palace, monastery and mausoleum. (Spanish ser.) *$1.25. Lane.
7–32150.
In picture and text this proves the first exhaustive English treatment of the Escorial—the Spanish royal palace, monastery and mausoleum in one.
“The views of the garden of the Casita de Abajo and of the interior of the Escorial itself are satisfactory and characteristic; the photographs of pictures and tapestries are much less effective; while the reproductions of Alfonso’s ‘Cantigas de Sancta Maria’ and other literary rarities are on so reduced a scale as to be virtually useless. Mr. Calvert’s text is compiled from Rotondo’s work, but he has introduced a considerable number of errors which imply, we fear, insufficient knowledge of Spanish history and literature.”