1 Mauldin and Herman’s edited collection adds a fresh body of work to an ever-growing discussion regarding material history and the British Atlantic world. With a focus on culturally constructed spaces and places, the editors connect an impressive pool of multi-disciplinary researchers from fields including folklore, vernacular architecture studies, archaeology and cultural geography among others. The intention is to introduce readers to the architecture and built landscapes constructed and consumed by British inhabitants who dwelled along the Atlantic seaboard, and to illustrate the central role of the ocean as a transmitter of both objects and ideas. Included are thirteen case studies temporally spanning the colonial period and geographically spanning the whole of the transatlantic world. The book contains a well constructed introduction, which connects a broad assortment of topics as widely diverse as the region discussed. It is then organized into four sections which include Part I: Empire and Government, Part II: Religion and the Churches, Part III: Commerce, Traffic, and Trade, and Part IV: Houses and the Home. The themes examined range from farmhouses to mansions, public building to ecclesiastical spaces, and isolated forts to urban plans. They highlight examples from areas such as West Africa, the Caribbean, Canada, England, and the American colonies. Connecting these disparate topics and locations is no small feat.

2 Combined, the authors discuss the impact that urban England had on the customs, ideologies, and belief systems, as well as the buildings and cultural landscapes of the British Atlantic world—from the centre to the Empire’s distant peripheries. In doing so, this book joins an extensive and well-established corpus focused on the Britishness of material culture across the transatlantic. However, it progressively strays from more traditional texts in its focus on hybridizations and cross-pollinations that took place between England, English settlers, and Indigenous populations. The authors highlight not only the influence of England upon its colonies, but also the impact of remote territories on the broader region, as well as specific contextual variations from one location to another. Kenneth Morgan, for example, provides an interesting overview of the influence that American trade had on English port cities. Furthermore, Peter Guillery examines the influence of a diverse and multi-cultural group of waterfront workers on the building styles and techniques employed during the construction of the church of St. George in Portsea, England. On the other hand, in his study of colonial public buildings in New England, Carl Lounsbury describes how British architectural traits where manipulated to reflect and incorporate local needs, ideas, and building materials. Significantly, there is also reference to foreign nations shaping the material culture of Britain’s Atlantic world. Anna O. Marley, for example, explores the impact that Thomas Jefferson’s time in France had on the interior design choices he made while decorating Monticello’s interior. Approaching this theme from a different angle, Peter Benes looks at the genealogy of New England meetinghouses and the role that European Protestants from various nations imposed upon stylistic characteristics, therefore illustrating the impact not only of Britain, but of foreign nationalities as well.

3 Mauldin and Herman have assembled a strong collection of case studies that are relevant, thoughtfully researched, and well written. Collectively, this work provides an entry point into the material culture of the British Atlantic world, and a foundation upon which to build future research. However, while the threads that connect these works are drawn out and elaborated, the essays provide only a snapshot of a small number of very specific places, topics, and periods in time. Much has been left unexamined and unexplained. Several regions have been underrepresented or are excluded altogether. For example, the entirety of West Africa and Canada are limited to one study each. It would also be refreshing to see a greater representation of Indigenous peoples, and their impact on the material culture of the Atlantic region. This is explored by Alison Stanley in her work on seventeenth-century praying towns—constructed for Indigenous inhabitants of Massachusetts—but it is an area deserving of far more attention. These gaps are understandable given the vastness of the topic and the breadth of material examined, but it would be risky to presume that the trends outlined in this book are reflective of the entirety of the British Atlantic region and those who dwelled within it. This is particularly the case considering the recent prevalence and success of studies that are specific and contextual rather than broad and overarching. Given the enormousness of the topics undertaken, this book will be most useful to those interested in specific chapters or sections, rather than as an encompassing and singular study of the British Atlantic world.