Customer Reviews

History of Art for Young People (Trade Version) (5th Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an art student in college, I slogged my way through several art history volumes, including Jansen's History of Art.Twenty years later, when attempting to revise an art enrichment program in my children's school, I was fortunate to come across Jansen's History of Art for Young People. Don't mistake the title as a reference to chronological age, but rather as aimed at anyone in an early (young) stage of fine art study. The book begins in prehistory and travels through to post-modernism, covering not only the art and artists, but the historical events that influenced the way the art developed. The text is very readable, with lots of key definitions, tables and line-illustrations right in the margins.There are four date based charts that organize the key achievements in Religion, Politics Science, Architecture and Art, emphasizing that art does not develop in a vacuum. Illustrations are well chosen with a fair number of color plates and sharp black and white pictures. Every page has some sort of visual aid, which makes it a pretty pleasant read for students. I highly recomend this book whether as a reference for learning about a particular artist or style, or as a foundation for designing an educational program. Jensen helps one turn the bits and pieces of art data that we all accumulate into a comprehensive sense of the breadth and influence of art in civilization. The depth of information is deep, but not so overwhelming as to drown the reader. If I were to make any criticism of this book, it would be only that it doesn't title itself as a history of WESTERN Art, which leaves an even larger portion of the world still unexplored.

I needed to find a few good sources for an art history report and was lucky enough to pluck this book off the shelf at my local library. I ended up finding most everything I needed just in this book and was amazed at the detailed coverage of the history of each induvidual peice. I loved it so much that I bought it for myself, and it has probably been the best purchase I've ever made. The writing is excellent, the coloured pictures make it easy to distinguish certain important aspects of the art, and the background history on the artists, the impact of music, philosophies, or simply the work makes it the best all-around book on art history (especially for students) that I've ever read. It helps the reader to understand how the other influences of trade, literature etc. helped form periods in art history so that they may have a better understanding of the work in general. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in an art history class or any fellow art lover, it's wonderful.

This is a wonderful book and, in my humble opinion, a better book for most users than the big textbook edition "History of Art". The only complaint I have about this edition is its name; I feel it should be titled "History of Art: Concise Edition" as "History of Art for Young People" makes it sound too much like a children's book. While certainly suitable for an intelligent child, it is a superb art overview and reference for all people.

If you desire a general art reference you won't go wrong with this gem and you'll not find anything better. I have the 3rd edition also and it is excellent but this 6th one is greatly expanded (e.g., lots more photos and color) while retaining the user-friendly nature of the earlier editions. The text is clear and interesting, not written in the dry, boring style of a textbook. The printing and reproductions are top-quality. This art book is truly itself a masterpiece!

Oh my gosh! What a great read! very informative, and helped my greatly on my AP Art History exam. Highly recommended!

The copy we received was a third edition, and it is very nice. Lots of information and nice photographs of the art. I have looked at the fifth edition in our local library, however, and I would say it is a great improvement. Some expanded sections, and more color photographs. All in all a great introduction to art history for kids or adults.

The best art history book for young people ever. Out of print, but there are several available on that great web catalogue called amazon.com. Better hurry.

History of Art for Young People (Trade Version) (6th Edition)

I borrowed the 5th edition from the library, and it worked perfectly with our study of Egyptian and Greek history. I was unwilling to continue borrowing the book from the library, so fortunately I was able to buy the 6th edition from Amazon. I'm looking forward to years of usefulness from this informative book. Next stop: The glories of the Roman Empire.