Soane was probably the greatest architect of the Georgian and Regency period in England, though the tragedy is that many of his buildings have been destroyed ore vandalised - most of them victims of late Victorian philistinism or commerdalism. His cool, elegant, airy style, with its mastery of interior space, seems curiously close to the modern spirit, and in fact Soane's reputation has risen steeply since the second World War. Soane was also an influential teacher and played a leading part in the founding of what is now the Royal Institute of British Architects. He had a long career, which this scholarly, well illustrated study traces with style. A few colour plates would have been welcome, particularly of certain of Soane's finest interiors.