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The Story of Art Paperback – April 9, 1995

by E.H. Gombrich (Author)

1,017 ratings

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"

The Story of Art, one of the most famous and popular books on art ever written, has been a world bestseller for over four decades. Attracted by the simplicity and clarity of his writing, readers of all ages and backgrounds have found in Professor Gombrich a true master, and one who combines knowledge and wisdom with a unique gift for communicating his deep love of the subject.

For the first time in many years the book has been completely redesigned. The illustrations, now in color throughout, have all been improved and reoriginated, and include six fold‐outs. The text has been revised and updated where appropriate, and a number of significant new artists have been incorporated. The bibliographies have been expanded and updated, and the maps and charts redrawn.

The Story of Art has always been admired for two key qualities: it is a pleasure to read and a pleasure to handle. In these respects the new edition is true to its much‐loved predecessors: the text runs as smoothly as ever and the improved illustrations are always on the page where the reader needs them. In its new edition, this classic work continues its triumphant progress tirelessly for yet another generation, to remain the title of first choice for any newcomer to art or the connoisseur.

"

Print length

688 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Phaidon Press
Publication date

April 9, 1995
Grade level

8 and up
Reading age

13 years and up
Dimensions

6.9 x 1.4 x 9.7 inches
ISBN-10

0714832472
ISBN-13

978-0714832470
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EH Gombrich
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Hans Werner Holzwarth
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Phaidon Press has produced a much-improved edition of Sir Ernst Gombrich's classic narrative study of art history, which was first published in 1950. Among the many competing introductory texts?the central monuments of which are H.W. Janson's History of Art (Prentice, 1986. 4th. ed.) and Helen Gardner's Art Through the Ages (4th ed. o.p.)?Gombrich's venerable work has inhabited a unique niche, having been created specifically for newcomers to art. As his title indicates, he presents the whole of art history as a chronological narrative. Gombrich's voice is lively, opinionated, and almost conversational, yet his erudition shines through to make a book that is both accessible and informative. His premise, that the love of art, not the love of history, is the appropriate basis for its study is communicated directly with his irrepressible enthusiasm for certain masters and his passionate exasperation with 20th century nonobjective artists. While much of the text is unchanged, the format has been completely redesigned with vastly expanded illustrations, improved captions, better charts and an excellent index. This book belongs on every art-lover's bedside table, and even those libraries owning an earlier edition would not regret adding this refinement of an already first-rate work.?Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"

"Lucid and endlessly informative." – The Good Book Guide

"For everyone, not just for stuffed shirts." – The Mail on Sunday

"The country’s bestselling book on art, never out of print, still in demand" – The Times

"Gombrich’s voice is lively, opinionated, and almost conversational, yet his erudition shines through to make a book that is both accessible and informative." – Library Journal

"This comprehensive look at Western art from prehistoric times on up to the present has been completely redesigned and extensively revised and updated." – Booklist

"Enjoy the most famous book on art ever published. . . This has been revamped for the first time since 1972, offering larger illustrations, more color, and improved text and coverage. Highly recommended." – Midwest Book Review

"

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Phaidon Press; 16th edition (April 9, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 688 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0714832472
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0714832470
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.67 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.9 x 1.4 x 9.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #89,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #242 in Art History (Books)
- #392 in Architecture (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,017 ratings

About the author

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E. H. Gombrich

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Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich, OM, CBE (30 March 1909 - 3 November 2001) was an Austrian-born art historian who spent most of his working life in the United Kingdom. He is the author of many works of art criticism and art history. (Photograph: Pino Guidolotti)

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

1,017 global ratings

5 star		82%
4 star		10%
3 star		2%
2 star		2%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 31, 2022

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A must in anyone’s library whether moderately or passionately interested in art history.

Delivered as promised

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2022

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The book arrived in pristine condition.

Highly recommended- read this before you visit the great museums

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 2, 2016

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This is a monumental work. After touring the Louvre, the Orsay, the Met and others I realized that I was just an art tourist. I'd wander around and enjoy what I was looking at but lacking any understanding of it. So, I bought this book to learn the basic history of art. Now, I need to return to the museums to give a new look at what I've seen before using my new knowledge. One thing I loved about it was discovering so many artists that I either didn't know about or didn't really appreciate before. I like the way he presents each period and school as building on what came before. But if Renaissance was the epitome of perspective and natural anatomy, it doesn't mean that we can't appreciate what came before it.

The book is 600 pages with lots of pictures so he is covering about 5,000 years in about 90,000 words which means he understandably breezes through parts, leaving important artists and pieces unmentioned and not giving a very deep understanding of the social and political environment which spawned them. What I did was to read in front of my computer so that as he mentioned things, I could consult wikipedia or other sources for further information. I often wandered off reading of the Franco-Prussian War or the Annunciation but it all broadened my knowledge and I could also look at other works of an important artist.

As it is a survey work, I would recommend reading further about periods or artists which interest you but you will at least have a fledgling knowledge to begin.

64 people found this helpful

Beautiful interesting resource

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 15, 2022

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I'm reading this book out loud to my children and it is so interesting. It's written in a way that they can understand but not in a dumbed down for kids way. There's plenty of pictures to illustrate the concepts is discussing and we are truly learning so much!

Exactly what you need :)

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 5, 2004

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In my opinion, "The Story of Art" is the best gift for yourself and others. Why?. Because it is one of those few books that allows you to achieve several objectives at the same time... It can introduce the reader to art, or allow him to continue with his studies. It gives him the opportunity of learning, but also entertains and captivates him.
Yes, of course that it is long, and because of that somehow scary the first time you see it. But if you manage to start it, you will find that you will finish it in no time at all. The reason for that is the author, E.H. Gombrich. His prose is fluent, and easy to understand, but what is more important, he doesn't merely enumerate facts: he tries to explain them, setting them in a historical background. And by doing that, compels and engages the reader, making him think about art and its "evolution", and about why the story of art is "A story without end".
The book brings a lot of illustrations regarding the artworks discussed by the author, including several fold-outs that I appreciated enormously. The reproductions allow the reader to "see" what the author tries to explain, and make the book even more dynamic.
Now in its 16th updated edition, this book is already a classic. Maybe the reason for that popularity can be explained by the author. Gombrich's aim was to help others to understand art, from cave painting to postmodern art. He believes that his book is immensely liked by students and art-lovers because "it has made them see how the story of art hangs together".
On the whole, I highly recommend "The story of art" to everybody interested in art. I believe it is exactly what you need :)
Belén

27 people found this helpful

The way it should be done!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 8, 2004

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About a year ago, I suddenly decided that it was about time I learned something about art history. After reading all the reviews about this book, I decided that this was the book for me. And so it was. I would never have imagined that it could be so entertaining to read about art history. A previous reviewer called this a simplified historical description of art from the perspective of an authoritarian male, white, european. Maybe it is simplified. So what! That's excactly what I needed at the time I bought this book. It has always been quite clear to me that this book was only an introduction to art. Since it was so entertaining I was able to finish it, and I have finally learnt to appreciate art. Because of this my second visit to Louvre in Paris was a lot more fun than my first visit there.
I guess it's true that the author was a white, european male. What does this have to do with anything? The book is mainly about western art, so I don't see why it matters that he's european. And in the history of western art, how many non-white or female artists are there? I guess there are some from the previous century, but that is quite a small part of the book. So the author was a white, european male, like most of the artists in the history of western art.
Some people have pointed to the fact that the book is a bit biased. Well, that is probably one of the things that makes it such an entertaining read. I highly recommend this book if you need an introduction to art.

34 people found this helpful

Inspiring and insightful

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 30, 2020

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FIRST LINE REVIEW: "There really is no such thing as Art." Erm...so the actual title of this fabulous book is "The Story of No Such Thing"? Seriously, this is the perfect book either for someone new to art history or someone wanting a quick, though thorough refresher course, like me. Quite inspiring and insightful. I highly recommend that, if you're drawn to this, you read the most recent edition (the one pictured here) because it is more expansive and the photos are all in color!

4 people found this helpful

Antoinette Jarrels

Not new as stated

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 8, 2023

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Stains all over some pages.

Top reviews from other countries

Annie-kindlefan

Beautiful: thick paper, colour photos & best read sitting up!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 25, 2019

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This renowned volume is a compelling and fascinating tour through history (and pre-history) of how Art got to be Art. It has sold 8 million copies and in its 16th edition so that tells you just how good it is! But my review is really about choosing (see above photo for size difference) between the glossy, big format edition and the 2001 pocket format. I bought the pocket edition first. I loved it so much that I thought I would treat myself to this full size version. I’m glad I did. The full size version is for the coffee table or sitting up and reading at a desk. It’s a beautiful book with every art work mentioned shown in very high quality photographs alined with the relevant text. Ie in contrast to the pocket edition, there’s no need to flip pages to a separate part of the book to get to the matching illustration. ✅✅ worth the extra cost.
But it’s not a book that I could read in bed as the glossy paper and size means that it’s a rather heavy handful.
So I’m very glad I also have both editions. However if I had to get only 1 then I would choose the pocket version. All the text and all the colour illustrations and cleverly managed with much less weight.

Customer image

27 people found this helpful

Kevin Boone

Accessible, wide-ranging, and engaging, but somewhat opinionated

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 2, 2017

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Actually, "opinionated" isn't quite the right word, but I can't think of a better one. The modern practice in academic writing is for the author to hide his or her personality completely; this book harks back to an era when we learned something about the writer as well as the subject. That's not a bad thing, and it isn't intrusive, but it does make reading this book a different experience from reading more modern academic material.

The Story of Art focuses mostly on European art, and mostly on painting. The author is quite up-front about this: he emphasizes European art because that's what he has seen most of, and because the book is already quite long enough. He includes mostly paintings because, he says, they lose least when rendered as photographs on the printed page. Withing these strictures, the book does a good job of surveying art from prehistoric times until the relatively recent past.

The Story of Art is written for a non-expert readership (that would be me, then) and uses very little jargon. It's total unpretentious, and makes little or no reference to objects that aren't illustrated in its own pages. The illustrations themselves are large and clear, and all in colour. I imagine that a child could read and understand this book, if he or she had the perseverance -- don't expect to read it properly in a couple of evenings.

23 people found this helpful

dinah guilfoyle

700 pages and only 1 women artist

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 6, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book is the story of art for men, by men, of men, It reeks of patriarchy. 17 editions over 70 years and apart from one page, its all wall to wall men. Sooooo boring. .... I can't even be bothered to start writing all the women who could have been in there .... I can't put them all down here ... who would I leave out?

15 people found this helpful

Onyonderhill

Great introduction to art history

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 2, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book provides an excellent basic introduction to art history for those who haven't studied it before. Gombrich's writing style, with little jargon, makes this book very easy and enjoyable to read and it is lavishly illustrated with good quality, mainly colour, images and prnted on high quality paper. The Story of Art encompasses the whole period of human endeavour in producing art, from cave painitngs created in prehistoric times right through to the late 20th century. Inevitably, a book with such a broad sweep has no room for in-depth analysis and there are many major works and artists which are not mentioned and sometimes I felt the book tried to cover too much ground,hence 4 stars rather than 5. However, as a very readable general introduction which, for many, will encourage further study it makes an excellent purchase and was, I thought, extremely good value for money.

One person found this helpful

Rebecca M

Cover not the same as pictured.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 6, 2022

Verified Purchase

I have owned this book previously and gave it to a student, I have recently purchased this again and wanted the same cover as my previous copy as pictured above however it is not the same cover when arrived. Specifically bought this for the one shown.

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