From Library Journal
Historian and illustrator Reed here expands the time frame of two previous editions of The Illustrator in America, reaching back to 1860 and forward to the present. His previous editions included the periods from 1900 to the 1960s (the first edition, published in 1966) and 1880 to 1980 (the second edition, published in 1984). His son, art curator and writer Roger Reed, served as coauthor of the second edition and editor of this new edition. A side-by-side comparison of the three editions shows significant differences, so libraries holding the previous two will want this as a supplement. The selected "outstanding" artists have increased to almost 650, and the single examples of each previous artist's work are different. In addition, more reproductions are in color, and contemporary digital developments bring it up to date. Two aspects keep the work from being as useful to researchers as it could be: the pictures are generally presented without the text they would have originally illustrated, thus losing their graphic context. Also, the bibliography is a very general one the artist entries do not have individual bibliographies. Recommended for the ready-reference areas of public and academic libraries. Anne Marie Lane, Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
This is the third edition of this standard art reference work, and coverage has been expanded and enhanced. The first edition (1964) covered 1900 to 1960; the second (1984) covered a century, 1880 to 1980. This version goes back to the Civil War and continues into the twenty-first century. The basic format remains the same. The history of American illustration is outlined decade by decade through a series of biographical essays on noteworthy artists accompanied by representative illustrations. The essays range in length from a couple of paragraphs to a couple of pages. The author packs a great deal of information into the brief entries: training, influences, life circumstances, career highlights, notable works, and lasting contributions or influences to the field. The illustrations have been well chosen and are crisply reproduced in a full-color process. One innovation in this latest offering is that now all of the reproductions are in color. As a result, almost all artists are represented by works new to this edition.
Entries chronicle the achievements of more than 450 artists, among them printmakers Currier and Ives; caricaturist Al Hirschfeld; Kewpie creator Rose O'Neill; graphic novelist Art Spiegelman; book illustrator Chris Van Allsberg; and Alberto Vargas, known for his pinup girls. A time line provides an overview of major artistic influences. A selected bibliography of print sources and an index of artists complete the work. There are no sources cited for individual entries because, as explained in the introduction, "the information is an amalgam from many sources," including questionnaires, reference works, and periodicals.
This new edition will be welcomed by collections that support an art curriculum. Those libraries that own the first two editions will want to update because of the expanded chronological coverage, the use of color throughout, the introduction of new art reproductions, and the addition of new artists to every decade. The vivid illustrations and historical arrangement make for delightful browsing. Recommended for secondary, academic, and public libraries. REVWR
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