Primer of Visual Literacy [Paperback]

Harold B. Dondis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262540290 | ISBN-13: 978-0262540292 | Publication Date: September 15, 1973 | Edition: 1St Edition

This primer is designed to teach students the interconnected arts of visual communication. The subject is presented, not as a foreign language, but as a native one that the student "knows" but cannot yet "read."

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1St Edition edition (September 15, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262540290
• ISBN-13: 978-0262540292
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > Questions & Answers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, if dated, information source, May 14, 1998

By 

B. Lane "baronl" (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Primer of Visual Literacy (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book that brings understanding to visual/cognitive procedures that are usually assumed to be more instinctive than evident.

It would be nice to have this classic updated to include form and media from the 20-odd years that have passed since it was published

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Valuable info in bad form, October 19, 2009

By 

tapdogg17 (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Primer of Visual Literacy (Paperback)

This book was required for class, so I wasn't expecting it to be incredibly enjoyable; I wasn't wrong. The information is great, and the author obviously knows what she is talking about. The delivery of said information, however, is very dry and dated, and almost gets too academic while you're trying to study art. Know that you need this information, it just might be easier to digest from another source.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good info but...., March 28, 2008

By 

R. Francis Smith (Brooklyn) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Primer of Visual Literacy (Paperback)

This book is extraordinarily frustrating. Dondis has so much good information--but it's obscured by what I find to be very poor writing. I found her sentence structure difficult to apprehend, and she's way wordy. Add to that the type face used--all sans serif! There's a reason that almost all books are printed in serif typefaces--and it's not tradition, it's ease of use. How bizarre that a book that is meant to clarify and explicate the use of visual media would employ a user unfriendly font.

I've tried to read this book twice, and even have used ideas that I found in that space while teaching a class on art appreciation. I SOOO wish that someone would take the info, rewrite it with sentences that actually flow, and lay it out in a readable font. Anyone up for that? In unleashing some really wonderfully illuminating information, you'd be doing the world much good.