Chris Brooks fulfills every expectation, indeed exceeds it. This breathtaking and stimulating survey offers, in one grand, sweeping narrative, an entirely new interpretation, at a stroke advancing a field which has been stagnant for too long.-Burlington Magazine
This book is animated by so rich an appreciation of the difference between a stylistic fashion and a major cultural strain as to be something of a miracle. Chris Brooks' text is a skillful descriptive and analytical synthesis. It ranges convincingly between matters as far apart, chronologically and otherwise, as the rebuilding of Orleans Cathedral and the absurdities of Gothic Punk.-World of Interiors
This is the most complete study available, and Brooks is a confident and reliable guide.-Independent
On the Art & Ideas series
Art & Ideas has broken new ground in making accessible authoritative views on periods, movements and concepts in art. As a series it represents a real advance in publishing.-Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate London
The format is wonderful and offers what had long been missing in academic studies: usable manuals for specific themes or periods... I am definitely not alone in welcoming Art & Ideas as a precious set of teaching tools.-Joachim Pissarro, Yale University
Phaidon's series may prove to be the pick of the crop. It boasts expert but undogmatic texts and a wealth of illustrations.-The Sunday Telegraph