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. A. H. Thompson's The Ground Plan of the English Parish Church was published in 1911 and was the first book to devote itself entirely to the historical development and resultant features of the parish church in England. It remains an insightful work on the subject.