Bookshelf

David Brown checks out the latest releases

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BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Royal Pavilion Brighton

By Alexandra Loske, Yale University Press, hardback, £35

Subtitled A Regency Palace of Colour and Sensation, this is indeed a sensual treat covering a landmark building that places a dreamlike Oriental-style building close to the Sussex coast, filled with treasures that, thanks to this sumptuous volume, we can enjoy in great detail at home.

George IV's grand vision for a pleasure palace has often been misunderstood, and Alexandra Loske’s academic research presents various aspects of the Royal Pavilion’s history in a fresh prospective and delightful detail. Dr Loske is the curator of the Royal Pavilion and Historic Properties at Brighton & Hove Museums, and she has contributed to various exhibitions and displays at the pavilion, as well as being the author of several informative books.

If the text is well-informed, then the excellent illustrations add to the overall grandeur of this book, highlighting many incredible exterior and interior details. For example, a closeup of the magnificent central chandelier in the Banqueting Room and the high-level decorations in the Music Room. Conservation is the keyword to keeping every detail of the Royal Pavilion vibrant, from the imaginative architecture to the period wallpaper.

Period artwork and plans add to the exquisite coverage. Included are incredible drawings by Augustus Charles Pugin from the collection of Brighton & Hove Museums, capturing the pavilion during and just after its transformation by architect John Nash and interior decorators and designers Frederick Crace and Robert Jones. These are reproduced here as a full set and in colour for the first time. Impressive throughout.

Le Mans 2000-09

By John Brooks, Evro, hardback, £70