This is, to my thinking, the finest single representation of “the art panorama.” I can’t think of a better introduction to these many lovely things than the one Gombrich provides here. The illustrations are excellent, both well-chosen and well-reproduced. But most important, this is no coffee-table book. It’s a great read. Buy a copy and keep it, not on your coffee table, but on your breakfast table. Gombrich has a great take on almost everything he surveys. There's none of the intellectualism you might dread, nothing even of the high tone taken by Kenneth Clark. Gombrich is more like a friend—a friend who happens to know a great deal about these cool things—painting, sculpture, architecture—and who has a knack for clueing you into why they really are so cool. If you have a kid who might be interested in this type of thing, what a great gift—and one that won’t break the bank. The writing is at about high-school level. Again, a really good read with a lot of nifty pics, full of insight and warmth—and which takes you out of the picture galleries, into the many and various worlds in which these lovely things were, first and foremost, objects of use. Highly recommended.
Note: Negative reviews appear to be about the pocket edition and/or the Kindle edition—or some other book entirely—not this full-sized book, which is well-produced. The paperback has a sewn binding, excellent type, and fine paper.
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