In August of 1848, John Ruskin and his new bride visited northern France, for the gifted young critic wished to write a book that would examine the essence of Gothic architecture. By the following April, the book was finished. Titled "The Seven Lamps of Architecture," it was far more than a treatise on the Gothic style; instead, it elaborated Ruskin's deepest convictions of the nature and role of architecture and its aesthetics. The book was published to immediate acclaim and has since become an acknowledged classic.