Sir Nikolaus Pevsner was one of the most learned and stimulating writers on art and architecture that the twentieth century has produced. He started with an advantage possessed by no other serious commentator on English architecture: his Continental birth, background and training. Born in Leipzig in 1902, of Russian Jewish stock, he lived in Germany until he was thirty-three. His first book was an account of Italian Mannerist and Baroque painting. His interest in British art and architecture developed while teaching at Gñttingen University in the early 1930s, and when in 1935 the rise of Hitler forced him to leave his native soil for good, it was in London that he settled. In his mind the European context was always present, giving detachment and authority to his judgements on the art of his adopted country. Pevsner later became Professor of History of Art at Birkbeck College (University of London), Slade Professor of Fine Art at Cambridge and a Gold Medallist of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Pevsner's considerable academic achievements were complemented by an active interest in conservation issues; as a founder member, and later chairman, of the Victorian Society, he did much to promote the study and conservation of Victorian architecture at a time when it was under appreciated. In addition to The Buildings of England, first published from 1951-74, he was founding editor of The Pelican History of Art and of The Buildings of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Among his many publications are An Outline of European Architecture (1943), Pioneers of Modern Design and A History of Building Types. Besides his published writings, Pevsner sought to further broaden public understanding and knowledge of the history of architecture in numerous lectures and talks.