Llewelyn Powys belonged to one of the most distinguished families in modern literature. Among his brothers were the novelists John Cowper per Powys (1872-1963) and Theodore Francis Powys (1875-1953), and there is little question that Llewelyn is third in importance to these. While he is thus sometimes overshadowed, he also benefits from light reflected. The reviving and continuing interest in the work of his brothers has led to the reprinting in recent years of some of Llewelyn's books, although the books favored tend to be memoirs and autobiographical reminiscences, those that illuminate the brothers and the family background rather than those that do the most justice to Llewelyn. Even putting aside the particular problem of Llewelyn's context in his family, it is hard to gain a reliable impression of the entire body of his writing. As the author of essays (descriptive, literary, historical, and philosophical), a biography, a...