This long awaited volume contains all the practitioner, conservation officer, curator, contractor or amateur will ever need to know about windows; from their history and development, to their identification, repair specification, use of materials and fittings, and even the current legislation governing them. It is packed with information provided by leading fenestration experts, and when combined with well selected photographs and illustrations, it is surely essential reading.    

Rory Cullen, Head of Buildings, The National Trust 

This is a book that needed to be written. Cast your mind back a bit, before windows were made of ghastly plastic or extruded aluminium, before glass became wavy by being heat-treated and strips of lead were stuck on to the surface; in short, before the soul had been ripped out of them; when they were works of art, when they were an enthusiastic celebration of design, whether borrowed from an earlier age or pushing at the boundaries of available technology. Real windows. 

    It's all there: how windows developed through the ages, the material used in their manufacture,  the dangers to which they are prone and the conservation measures necessary when they are attacked by rot and worm.    Ecclesiastical and Heritage World

Each of the fifteen authors contributing to the book provides a fluent and accessible discourse on their topic, and where appropriate, cross-references are made to work of co-contributors. Taken as a whole, the reader is provided with material that can be read through in a logical sequence to grasp the full compass of the subject, or dipped into for specific topics and advice as desired. Of particular merit are the illustrations, of which there are over 400, in both colour and black and white. To aid the reader in identifying architectural styles and technical details, the authors have carefully selected images from a wide range of sources, including historic drawings, paintings, pattern books, textbooks, and manufacturers’ catalogues together with some excellent contemporary and archive photographs. These are complemented by an equally impressive set of illustrations that accompany the chapters dealing with materials, defects and repair.

    Whilst no book can contain all the answers on this subject, this one goes a long way to doing just that. However, it should be pointed out that its coverage concentrates more on domestic windows from the Renaissance onwards than on early periods or other building types. Nevertheless, it should be considered as an essential reference by all those responsible for the care of historic buildings. Where specific information is not provided to address a particular query, extensive referencing and advice on further reading will provide reliable signposts.

    The importance of windows is neatly summed up the English writer and caricaturist Sir Max Beerbohm in Fenistralia: ‘There is much virtue in a window. It is to a human being as a frame is to a painting, as a proscenium to a play, as “form” to literature. It strongly defines its content.’

    We must recognize and value this virtue and so endeavour to conserve traditional windows, whenever possible. The publication of this book will do much to inform the conservation process, and in so doing it will increase the probability of achieving successful outcomes.

Professor Peter Swallow Journal of Architectural Conservation