?The usefulness of these essays extends far beyond bibliographical value, for each provides an historical and biographical introduction to the author. A refreshing and exceedingly helpful change from traditional bibliographical eesays is Spector's decision to include enumerative bibliographies at the end of each section, which allows the reader to return to the bibliography and locate relatively quickly one source without having to re-read the essay proper. Lucidly written and critically concise, Spector's essays advance greatly the study of the great English Gothic period.?-Genre