Conjectures on a cockleshell

Samenvatting

John Melvin here reflects on a number of subjects concerning the nature of tradition and the role of memory in the renewal of our cities. Many of these illustrated essay's focus on Oxford but their lessons could be applied to any town proud of its past. The novelist Justin Cartwright has described Melvin as having a profound understanding of the history of architecture and an acute ear of architecture's emotional resonances, and these qualities colour all the essays. This book allows Melvin, who is one of our most experienced architects/town planners, to take a fond look at a number of those visual ingredients whose origin may be lost to memory but which nevertheless add savour to our experience of the city. The text is beautifully married to Melvin's telling sketches and paintings, which, with his own photographs, make this a delight for the eye as well as a provocative but timely read.