# Art History In Pictures **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 28, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-history-in-pictures/296661 "2005-03-28T20:22:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bookbuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@bookbuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bookbuster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-history-in-pictures/296661/1 "2005-03-28T20:22:35Z")
I don’t want to read much but I would love a thick in-depth book with the great works of art ideally with good captions or a few paragraphs explaining the history. the best would be a book that dips outside the cannon, maybe a two book combo could acheive this??? any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-history-in-pictures/296661/2 "2005-03-28T20:52:49Z")
The survey textbooks usually have too much text/ too poor image quality for what you are looking for. Museum catalogues sometimes have better images. . . but for something more general. . . Maybe Sister Wendy’s big books? Sort of a greatest-hits/ her favorites sort of thing. I can’t off the top of my head think of a coffee-table-book format survey that is more picture than text, though. If you get into narrower time periods or regions the situation might improve. If a survey text strikes you as ok, my favorite survey text for information is Tansey and Kleiner/Gardener’s Art Through the Ages, but I think a text by Adams (can’t recall title-- maybe something like “Art across Time”) is much more pleasant and accessible for the not-paying-tuition-for-this populace. Other commonly used surveys are Frederick Hartt’s thingie (also simpler then Gardner, I think. I assume new editions continue to be made), Marilyn Stokstad, and Janson. In my experience the Gardener, Stokstad, and Janson are the most frequently used in art history survey classes-- take that as either an endorsement or a warning. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-history-in-pictures/296661/3 "2005-03-28T22:52:14Z")
Actually, I just thought of one-- there’s something called “The Art Book” that I saw at a friend’s house-- it has big pictures, just little chunks of text, and comes in hardcover (monstrously large) or paperback (little hand-sized thing). It’s put out by Phaidon Press-- I think it might be exactly what you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![bookbuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@bookbuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bookbuster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/art-history-in-pictures/296661/4 "2005-03-29T02:57:43Z")
i am familiar with the Art Book, it is very nearly what I am looking for, but I do want one in chronological order, and a little more reading than that one. haha I am picky I guess. also the art book only shows one picture per artist, whereas a history book may show many examples of an important artist’s work thanks for the help, I am now looking at, [Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0789468050/qid=1112065830/sr=8-9/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i9_xgl14/103-4475998-0362203?v=glance&s=books&n=507846), which could be spot on. I am also considering [History of Art for Young People](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0131833006/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_2/103-4475998-0362203?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance), which reviewers say is not only for young people. Though not all images are in color, which is offsetting. and [Art: A World History](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0789423820/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_8/103-4475998-0362203?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) which may be the clincher with over 2,000 color images! I am gonna keep looking a bit and check this thread a few times…