Ancient English Ecclesiastical Architecture and Its Principles Applied to the Wants of the Church of the Present Day

This rare book is a renowned early design manual espousing the virtues and patterns of the Gothic Revival, practice in pure ecclesiological form. Wills, who trained in England, is considered one of the most important Gothic Revival architects of his generation in North America. After several years in Fredericton, Wills moved to New York City where he enjoyed a successful career as a church architect until his premature death at age thirty-four. As for the importance of the book, which includes descriptions and illustrations of Wills' two Fredericton works, his biographer Douglas Richardson writes: "There was nothing just like it on either side of the Atlantic—a blend of architectural history, principles of design, modern exemplars (all by Wills), and a glossary. It was a sensible and concise book."

• NB Legislative Library
• https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008634204