World History of Art [Paperback]

Hugh Honour (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1856694518 | ISBN-13: 978-1856694513 | Publication Date: August 1, 2005 | Edition: 7th

Over two decades, this art historical tour de force has consistently proved the classic introduction to humanity's artistic heritage. From our paleolithic past to our digitised present, every continent and culture is covered in an articulate and well-balanced discussion. In this seventh edition, the text has been revised to embrace developments in archaeology and art historical research, while the renowned contemporary art historian Michael Archer has greatly expanded the discussion of the past twenty years, providing a new perspective on the latest developments. The insight, elegance and fluency that the authors bring to their text are complemented by 1458 superb illustrations, half of which are now in colour. These images, together with the numerous maps and architectural plans, have been chosen to represent the most significant chronological, regional and individual styles of artistic expression.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hugh Honour is one of the leading art historians of our time. With John Fleming, he edited the Pelican 'Style and Civilization' series. John Fleming, with Nikolaus Pevsner and Hugh Honour, wrote The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. He died in 2001. Michael Archer teaches at The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford.

Product Details

• Paperback: 996 pages
• Publisher: Laurence King Publishing; 7th edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1856694518
• ISBN-13: 978-1856694513
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.7 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,624,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Ideal Resource, July 30, 2007

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Shoesaproblem (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: World History of Art, A (Trade) (7th Edition) (Hardcover)

As a student of fine and decorative art, "A World History of Art" has proved an invaluable resource for me. Unlike so many texts intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the history of art, this book is fresh and enjoyable, offering a wealth of information in a succinct and articulate manner. It is all too easy to deteriorate into ponderous, heavy prose when discussing the history of art, but Honour and Fleming generally manage to avoid the trap and move steadily and seamlessly through both time and place in discussing the progression of art.

"A World History of Art" is, primarily, an academic text and is therefore a proverbial doorstop of a book - I would not recommend it as a coffee table adornment, but would strongly encourage students or connoisseurs to consider it as a reference. It is an ideal source of general information for the university or postgraduate student, and would serve as an excellent introduction for anyone seeking to study the history of art.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best art history text book there is, August 10, 2010

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Mr. DN Clayton "DC" (England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: World History of Art (Paperback)

Well there might be a better one, but this is orders of magnitude better than anything else I have read, including Gombrich. The great thing about it is that it attempts to relate the form and content of the art to the worldview of the artists and the society of the time that the art was produced. In support of its arguments it gives lots of extended passages from contemporary writers as well as many, many quotations from the artists themselves. The philosophical and theological connections are well explained.
What it doesn't do is attempt to re-interpret things as seen through an atheist/materialist worldview, (which assumes that any worldview based upon faith is founded in error and assumes that it cannot be a true motivation for the artist does). This is what nearly every other art book does. For example, much of Western art history is linked to Catholic beliefs. Honour and Fleming do not question the truth of Catholic beliefs, as nearly every art book I have come across does, but seeks to explain how, given these beliefs, their art might be as it is. So they explain clearly and accurately what those beliefs are then relate what we see to them. I find their analysis very convincing. They have the same approach to art of non-Christian cultures as well.
The only section that I find weak is that not written by Honour and Fleming, on the art of the 20th century. The writers seem are not able to articulate the worldview behind it in the same clear way.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, May 13, 2010

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G. Corrado "Neo" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Visual Arts: A History (Combined) (7th Edition) (Paperback)

I had to get this book for school, but I kept it after the class was over. It has a lot of cool color photos, etc. easy reading, etc.