Ghastly Good Taste: Or, a Depressing Story of the Rise and Fall of British Architecture

London: Anthony Blond, 1970. Cloth. Very Good Indeed/Very Good. 9.5" by 7.5". Peter Fleetwood-Hesketh. A very smart copy of this reprinted edition of Betjeman's essay on the rise and fall of English architecture, with a nine feet long folding illustration to the rear. Reprinted, originally published 1933. With a nine feet long folding illustration to the rear of the text. Collated complete. A discursive essay on the profession of architecture and the state of modern architecture in England, with chapters on Christendom, the Upper Classes, educated architecture, regency architecture, and the revolt in the Middle Classes. Written by Sir John Betjeman, an English poet, writer, and broadcaster who was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. Betjeman was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a defender of Victorian architecture, helping to save St. Pancras railway station from demolition. Illustrated by Peter Fleetwood-Hesketh, a British architectural historian. In the original quarter cloth binding with pink paper covered boards. Externally, very smart with light shelf wear to the extremities. Original unclipped dust wrapper is also smart with light shelf wear and sunning to the spine. The odd mark to the rear panel. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright and clean. Very light spotting to the folding plate. Very Good Indeed