In the plan of this book, as in the other volumes of the Series, the text has been made subordinate to and explanatory of the illustrations, which, I venture to hope, will be found to form a complete and useful panorama of the monumental glories of these grand old cities. I have not proposed to write a guide-book for the tourist, but rather to supply him with a souvenir, and to provide a manual for those interested in architecture and archÆology. I have avoided technology as much as possible, as my appeal is not to the professional student, but to the amateur (in the true sense) of the arts. In order to supplement my own knowledge and revise the impressions derived from personal observation in the three towns, I have availed myself freely of the works of others who have laboured in the same field, and have been at much pains to consult all the writings I could find upon the subject. The lengthy list of authorities I have consulted need not be recited here, as they are duly acknowledged in the text.

As in the case of all the cities dealt with in this Series, I have prepared a brief historical sketch of Leon, Burgos, and Salamanca. Their early history is largely of a speculative and debatable character, and much of it has been learnedly discounted by modern writers. Let me explain at once, that while recounting incidents which may be suspected of merely traditional origin, I neither accept nor reject the criticism of these recent historians, and if I do not quote their conclusions, it is because they are often too conflicting to be embodied in so slight a work. I would also add, that a quotation is not to be taken as a blind acceptance of the accuracy of the dicta or as a recognition of the writer as an absolute authority.

In conclusion, I may explain that I have dealt more briefly with the architecture of these Gothic cities than with the Moorish monuments of Seville, Cordova, and Granada, my reason being that the general reader is more familiar with Gothic and Renaissance styles than with the rarer work of the Arabs.

To Mr. E. B. d’Auvergne I offer my grateful acknowledgment of the assistance he has rendered me in the compilation of the text, and my thanks are also due to SeÑor J. Lacoste and Messrs. Hauser y Menet for their permission to reproduce many of the photographs which appear in this volume.

A. F. C.