Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. English Monasteries by A. H. Thompson was first published in 1913 and reissued as this second edition in 1923. The book presents a study of medieval monasteries in England, paying special attention to describing the uses of principal monastic buildings.