Customer Reviews

Nursing, the Finest Art: An Illustrated History

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This book is a treasure for the profession of nursing. I saw the first edition of this book while a nursing student in the author's nursing history course. Dr. Donahoe performed extensive research in writing this book. It is a moving account of those things that drew me to the profession of nursing and a thorough education for those unaware of nursing's history. The artwork is phenomenal and shows how nurses have been captured in art throughout history as well.

This book is a great gift idea for all nurses. I bought one during my senior year of nursing school to help with a take-home exam. Not only did it help with the exam, but it was actually very interesting to read. The format of the book is nice because it has a timeline, and is organized by major historical events in nursing. Even if you don't like reading about history, the pictures tell a story themselves. It is a great coffee table book to have just to flip through and enjoy the beautiful artwork and pictures of nurses from past to present.

This is one of the best nursing history books available. It covers the period of nursing from pre-history through modern ages. Because the period of time covered is so vast, that very period is both the book's greatest strength and its weakness.

As the subtitle of the book implies, it is an illustrated history book. Because the time period is so vast, the illustrations are taken from museums, libraries, and other public access collections. As a result, the images are somhow...familiar. And, because it is a history book which covers such a wide range, it must deal with very specific aspects of each period, rather than an in-depth account of any one period. As such, we are given the history of nursing itself. This is a wonderful history, and the illustrations, although many may be familiar, are diverse enough to please even the most casual reader. I highly recommend it.

The only alternative to this book, in my opinion, is a book by one Michael Zwerdling, titled "Postcards of Nursing: A Worldwide Tribute," also available on Amazon. Postcards of Nursing focuses on the 20th century and, instead of being an illustrated history book, is really anannotated art book. The art is separate from the text, something which highlights the graphics. The images themselves are unusual in that they are taken from postcards, and, frankly, are not what I expected from postcard images. The images, both art and photo, are entirely unfamiliar and, in my opinion amazing. Also, instead of concentrating on nursing itself, though there is a great amount of nuring history, most of it deals more with the articulation of nursing with society: entertainment, royalty, art styles of the age, social issues, war, and other items of pubic interest. There are Minnie Mouse nurses, Star Trek Nurses, cat nurses, famous nurses, glamor nurses and so forth.

Both are wonderful books, and both should be considered if you are looking for one gift to buy for yourself or a nurse. In fact, they complement each other and if you can afford it, I would recommend both. Both are far, far better than the
"100 Years of American Nursing: Celebrating A Century of Caring" or " Nursing Reflections" both of which, in my opinion, are way overpriced, and limited in scope.

This book was on my wish list for months - and with a gift certificate from my son I finally rewarded myself with this gorgeous nursing history. It was expensive but worth the money. The part I couldn't know by the preview online is that the color plates showing nursing through the years are just as wonderful as I hoped.

I was looking for a meaningful gift for a recent nursing school graduate who had encountered some major challenges that had threatened her graduation. This book is a magnificent history of the profession going back to pre-history. The text provides the full sweep of history as well as excellent analysis of the role of this profession in the evolution of modern healthcare. But the hundreds of color plates and illustrations turn the book into a true work of art. Reproductions of beautiful paintings, manuscripts, and historic photographs bring the text to life. This book helped me to achieve my goal of lifting the spirits of this young graduate, as she was clearly inspired by both the art and the substantial textual content!

This is a great book for new or seasoned Registered Nurses. I give this to new grads from nursing schools. Great book on the history and art history of nursing.

I had to buy this book for a college course. I have been buying my books through Amazon for a while now because it is a lot cheaper than getting them at the college bookstore. At first I just thought this was going to be another one of those books that I was going to dread reading... but I have found it really interesting! The material is interesting, the pictures are gorgeous, and I will actually be keeping this textbook for my coffee table rather than trying to sell it back or trade it with another student. This would be a perfect gift for anyone who is a nurse or studying to be a nurse, or anyone who is interested in history, or art.

2 nurses received this book at our nurses week celebration and loved it. It's a wonderful gift for someone who has kept their cap pristine for 30 years and for someone who uses Florence Nightengale as part of their e-mail address....those who truely love nursing! The pictures and stories show the history of nursing across the generations.

I first purchased this book for myself. As a nurse, I love the traditions and culture of nursing. My second purchase was as a gift for a new nurse at her pinning ceremony. It is a lovely, coffee table size book.