His writings on the architects and architecture of the Arts and Crafts Movement at the end of the nineteenth century have been widely published. His particular interest in James MacLaren dates back to 1973 when he became fascinated by the Fortingall buildings as an architectural student. He curated the James MacLaren Centenary Exhibition at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London in 1990. His thirty year study of MacLaren culminated in the publication of this book to celebrate the 150th anniversary of MacLaren's birth.