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.

The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, commonly referred to as The Sketch Book, is a collection of 34 essays and short stories written by Washington Irving. Published serially throughout 1819 and 1820, the collection includes two of Irving's best-known works, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." It also marks Irving's first use of the pseudonym "Geoffrey Crayon," which he would continue to employ throughout his literary career. The Sketch Book, along with James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, was the first widely read work of American literatu.