Roger W. Moss

Fifty exceptional churches, meetinghouses and synagogues are treated in this fine book that is a companion of sorts to the publisher's Historic Houses of Philadelphia by the same author and photographer. To select only 50 from the 16,000 houses of worship in the city means that those included here are not going to be representative of the range of architectural traditions that shaped the city or the larger regional area it influenced; that is not a criticism of the book, but an observation. What we are given is a selection of the very best design, construction and preservation of eighteenth and nineteenth century religious architecture. The photography is exquisite—I am insanely jealous—and the text is informed, balanced, and wide-ranging. One can find the inspiration, or at least a strong parallel, for many of New Jersey's churches in the pages of this volume, although that is not the reason you might want to buy the book. It is an exceptional work, beautifully designed and produced.… (mehr)