Book review: The Concise British Flora in Colour

The Concise British Flora in Colour (1965) by W.Keble Martin

[UPDATE: This book review has now MOVED. The synopsis and summary from the original post are below - the rest can be found at Book Review - The Concise British Flora in Colour on my website dedicated to Botanical Art and Artists.]

Title: The Concise British Flora in Colour

Synopsis:The product of a project lasting over 60 years to study, research, amd illustrate the natural wild flowers of the UK.  W. Keble Martin started before the first world war and this book was not published until 1965.  It records short descriptions of the plants with proper nomenclature and popular name.  On the opposite page are the composite illustrations of the variations of flowers within a family.  All the plants and flowers were drawn from life.  The book was a best seller when published in 1965 - a feat not yet repeated for a book about wild flowers.

Summary review: The primary reason for buying this book for me was nostalgia - for my childhood, expeditions to find wildflowers for a primary school project and (I now realise) for those wildflowers which are no longer common.  There are probably quite a few people over the age of 50 who feel the same.  Over and above that this was the book which introduced me to botanical illustration.  I loved the fact that the wild flowers were illustrated rather than photographed and what seemed to me to be the very innovative way that the flowers were arranged on the page.  I was hooked by this book and have remained interested ever since.

A copy of the original post has been archived and is on file.

Book Review: The Art Atlas

Title: The Art Atlas

Author / (Publisher): John Onians (Laurence King)

Technical data: Publication Date: May 2008 352 pages; 300 illustrations and 300 maps in full color; CD-included ISBN-10: 1856695573 ISBN-13: 978-1856695572

Synopsis: The first work to treat the art of the whole world from prehistory to the present day through the extensive use of maps. It places an emphasis on art as a visual expression of the story of different cultures at different times. Covering painting, sculpture and architecture as well as other arts and artefacts, The Art Atlas provides an entirely new vision of the history of the world's art by showing how physical and political geography has shaped its developments.

Who should buy this?: Art Historians and teachers and students of art history. People (like me) who love art AND maps.

Who should not buy this? Those with no interest in art history or how art has developed over time and in different cultures. People who don't like maps and/or cannot read a map.

Highlights Maps showing how art flowed between towns, countries and cultures. Expert comment from art historians, archeologists, anthropoligists and people expert in a particular region Very well illustrated provides an excellent context for studying different artists, different art movements and the art of different cultures and countries A reference book forever! Comes with a CD which includes a searchable form of the entire book

Think Again? Not a book you are ever going to digest in a hurry!

Summary: This is a large tome for people who want to get to grips with a geographical and cultural overview of how art has developed across cultures, countries and over time. What I like about the book is that it does try to embrace all of art. What makes it unsatisfactory is that in so doing it inevitably has to skim across the surface of some of the artists and aspects of art with which we might be more familiar. In doing this it made me realise just how much I didn't know! Which, as I indicated earlier, means I can see this book being around as a reference book for some years to come. I recommend people read what interests them and then see where that takes them.

This is a summary of my comprehensive book review posted on Making A Mark earlier this year. See Book review: The Art Atlas for more information and detail about this book.

Here's a flavour of what my book review talks about

What I have how ever grasped is that this book appeals to the geographer in me (all those maps - heaven!) and that it tries to get to grips with explaining the flows between different parts of the world at different times in world history in visual terms. Thus it conceptualises art as a global phenomenon rather than something which is totally discrete and tidy (like "European Art") which is often the way art history can tend to be presented at times - even if this can be rather inaccurate.

Note
Professor John Onians, BA, PhD, FSA. specialises in architecture, especially the architectural theory of the Italian Renaissance; painting, sculpture and architecture in Ancient Greece and Rome; material culture, metaphor and thought; perception and cognition, and the biological basis of art. His publications include Art and Thought in the Hellenistic Age (Thames & Hudson) and Bearers of Meaning. The Classical Orders in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Cambridge University Press, 1988), which was awarded the Sir Banister Fletcher Prize in 1989. He is also the founding editor, in 1978, of the prestigious journal Art History.

Book Review: Art - the definitive visual guide

Title: Art: The Definitive Visual Guide

Author: by Andrew Graham-Dixon (Author, Editor) (Dorling Kindersley 1 October 2008)

Technical data: Hardback, 252 x 301mm, 62 pages ) ISBN-10: 1405322438 ISBN-13: 978-1405322430 Robust production values indicate this is a book which is not about to fall apart - which is very reassuring given the number of pages!

Synopsis: Covers 700 artists in a 540 page chronological overview of the history of art relating to different cultures and the main periods of art history from prehistory to the present day. According to the author/editor, the purpose of this book is as straightforward as its "does-what-it-says-on-the-tin" title. Its aim is to open, to the general reader, a thousand doors into a thousand different experiences of art - and by doing so, to make the wold of the museum and art gallery, church and cloister, temple and mosque, both more enjoyable and more accessible.

Who should buy this?: People who want to know more about the history and development of art

Who should not buy this? Those bored by art history or any art from unfamiliar lands and cultures

Highlights includes an introduction about how to look at art a book which is packed full of high quality reproductions of 2,500+ paintings and sculptures artists grouped into different genres or movements enabling a better understanding of the wider context individual and important paintings examined in depth provides an overview and timeline of the lives of notable artists summary reviews of how different artists have tackled specific genres of painting

Think Again? some major gaps in the art covered - eg very little mention of Russian artists lacks a section on 'how to look' at contemporary art lacks a decent index of all the artists covered by the book - by section would benefit from an overview of the best museums to see the art highlighted in the book

Summary: This is essentially a visual guide. The text is informative and succinct but does not provide an in-depth discussion of art in different periods. In 600+ pages, this book succeeds in giving a very good flavour of each art movement, art period, art culture and an awful lot of artists. It's a very good book for introducing people to art across the ages and different cultures. A primer for those wanting to learn more about the history of art and suitable for all students - young and old. Andrew Graham Dixon suggests it can be used as a work of reference, a bluffer's crib or a guide and companion on a path to exploring art.

You can read my detailed review Book Review: Art - the definitive visual guide which was first published on Making A Mark

Art Bookshop Review: Thomas Heneage Art Books

Lots of excellent art history books
all photos copyright Katherine Tyrrell

This is a review of a shop selling art history books. It's also a shop which I shall definitely be going back to. Yesterday I visited Thomas Heneage Art Books and walked away with two excellent books - one a Tate Publishing catalogue of the 1998 retrospective exhibition of John Singer Sargent at the Tate Gallery and a 1984 book providing an overview of Pastels and pastel artists from the 16th to the 20th century by Genevieve Monnier.

Name of Art Bookshop: Thomas Heneage Art Books

Address: 2 Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6DJ

Website: Thomas Heneage Art Books http://www.heneage.com

Shope hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm, otherwise by appointment (closed public holidays).

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7930 9223

Of interest to: art lovers, students of art history, gallery owners, art dealers, art exhibition visitors, art students and art teachers

Highlights: my idea of a good bookshop - three rooms with books everywhere! an excellent range of high quality art history books about various artists - published at various dates and in various languages ad hoc selection of international exhibition catalogues from past exhibitions; strong on 'landmark' exhibitions all books in excellent condition new publications focus on very specialised topics very helpful staff

Think Again? not for those seeking a cheap book - although prices are fair no art instruction books

Summary: This is the bookshop to go to if: you love art history books you're trying to track down an art history book or catalogue that you want.

Exterior of shop at 42 Duke Street

Thomas Heneage Art Books was founded in 1977. The business focuses on selling art books. We specialize in books for the art market, our core business being in catalogues raisonnés, monographs and international exhibition catalogues. It is our policy to stock the most authoritative book on any subject and in any language, irrespective of its being new or second hand.

I'm never averse to stepping over the threshold of an art bookshop. However shops in the "very posh" St Jame's area of London can be a bit intimidating. However this one is very relaxed - there are books everywhere and you sometimes have to watch your step!

This shop also has extremely friendly and very helpful staff. For example, after I asked whether I could take photographs and explained why, I was given a complete tour of the bookshop - and the coverage of topic areas within art hsitory is extensive - including I then asked about a book I've been trying to get hold of Wilfrid Blunt's The Art of Botanical Illustration and one was located in a very short space of time and I had a price for it. Reader - I was impressed!

Lucian Freud on paper'
surveys what's on offer

Most of the books are about artists and painting - however there is also a set of shelves just devoted to the history of drawing. Extensive shelving is also given over to specialised areas of antiques and artifacts and the art associated with specific countries.

This is the sort of bookshop which is a recommended visit for serious art bibilophiles, art historians, art teachers and students of art history - not to mention the art dealers - many of whom get their reference books here.

The books are authoritative and the best quality. Some are new (the type which only get published in limited numbers for not insignificant prices) but the majority are secondhand. That said they are all in good condition. Some even come with some added extras inserted by their previous owners - always a small joy to find! I opened up my Pastels Book to find an item from the Galerie Camoin on the Quai Voltaire in Paris.

If you like art history and you really like books I recommend a visit.