Customer Reviews

Janson's History of Art 7th Ed.

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this book is awesome! but be careful it is the right version. this a double volume book and you can just purchase volume one or volume two of the 7th Ed.... though it's a lot cheaper to buy both bound together

I bought this to supplement my art history course. It has everything I need to know as someone just starting out in the study of the field. I really enjoy the layout and photos. Highly recommended by my art history professor and now myself!

At around one thousand pages (!) this book is stuffed full of every bit of information you could need to have a very in depth course in art and art history.

The pictures are plentiful and in beautiful color, the excerpts about the art is thorough, and the narration is a fantastic history of art. Included also, are timelines throughout the book to put the art of the time in perspective with regard to politics, science, religion, music, literature, and technology.

We keep this book in a prominent place to reference regularly.

If you were to buy just one art book in your life this would by far be my top recommendation!

"Janson's History of Art" contains a comprehensive story of the human effort to communicate in an aesthetic manner. Art is the communication of imagination and ideas. It is an effort at adorning self and environment. It is the expression of man's reality, whether realistic or symbolic. H.W. Janson and his successors show us this unfolding story in this 824 page volume.

When I taught art history in a fine arts survey course at the high school level, this was my art bible--one of the best. Its use as instruction for me and pictures of art for the student made "History of Art" completely invaluable. This was my teaching tool, along with so many other art books.

Highest recommendation!

This is a review of the 7th edition (March 2006), with Manet's "Bar at the Folies-Bergere" on the dust jacket (i.e. a blue picture of barmaid).

Note that this edition is actually written by Davies, Denny, Hofrichter, Jacobs, Roberts, and Simon (presumably based on an earlier edition by Janson and Janson").

It's full title is "Janson's History of Art - The Western Tradition", and it's coverage of non-Western art is very limited.

I believe this March 2006 edition is identical to the edition of Feb 2006 with Jan van Eyck's "Man in a Red Turban" on the dust jacket. I've looked at both editions (thought not side by side at the same time) and as far as I can tell they are identical apart from the dust jacket.

I have also looked at the 8th edition (2010), and noticed that many of the photographs of cathedrals in the 8th edition are either from very different angles or of totally different buildings from the same era. I believe a lot of the other pictures are likewise changed.

I thought the architectural photographs in the 7th edition were much better. Many of my favorites have been replaced in the 8th edition by less attractive pictures.

I've also compared "Janson" with Gardners "Art Through the Ages". I think Janson has better pictures and better writing. On the other hand, the "global" edition of Gardner's has 12 chapters devoted to non-western art (those 12 chapters are also available as a stand-alone text".

There is no better book on Art History. I've had mine for years and worked at a museum so it came in handy. Buy it used, it's worth it.