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The Story of Art
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The Story of Art Paperback - 1995

by Eh Gombrich

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This seller has earned a 3.97 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.
3.97 / 5 (452468 total reviews)

The most famous and popular book on art ever published, this quintessential "introduction to art" has been a worldwide bestseller for over four decades. In this completely redesigned 16th edition, Gombrich, a true master, combines knowledge and wisdom with a unique gift for communicating his deep love of the subject. 440 illustrations, 376 in color.

Reader reviews for The Story of Art

Review summary

This seller has earned a 3.97 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.
3.97 / 5 (452468 total reviews)

Readers praise Ernst Gombrich’s The Story of Art as a lucid, jargon?free, and engaging primer that doubles as a reliable desk reference. Many highlight its narrative clarity, well-chosen comparisons, and rich illustrations, saying it teaches how to look at art and inspires museum-going. It’s especially valued by beginners and autodidacts, with standout chapters on medieval and Renaissance art. Common criticisms note a Western/Eurocentric focus, scant coverage of non?European art and women artists, and a conservative, dated take on late modern/contemporary movements; some translations suffer from censored or mismatched images. Despite caveats, it remains widely recommended as the single best first book on art history.

Readers say this book is:
accessiblejargon-freeengaginginsightfulinspiringbeautifully illustratedbeginner-friendlyauthoritativeEurocentricdated on contemporary art

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From the publisher

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 colour 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.

Details

  • Title The Story of Art
  • Author Eh Gombrich
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition 16th Revised ed
  • Pages 688
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Phaidon Press, London
  • Publication date 1995-09-09
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Maps
  • ISBN 9780714832470 / 0714832472
  • Weight 3.67 lbs (1.66 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.7 x 6.86 x 1.62 in (24.64 x 17.42 x 4.11 cm)
  • Category Art & Art Instruction
  • Library of Congress subjects Art - History
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 00004636
  • Dewey Decimal Code 709

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 10/01/1995, Page 243
  • Library Journal, 11/15/1995, Page 72

About the author

Ernst Gombrich was one of the greatest and least conventional art historians of his age, achieving fame and distinction in three separate spheres: as a scholar, as a popularizer of art, and as a pioneer of the application of the psychology of perception to the study of art. His best-known book, The Story of Art - first published 50 years ago and now in its sixteenth edition - is one of the most influential books ever written about art. His books further include The Sense of Order (1979) and The Preference for the Primitive (2002), as well as a total of 11 volumes of collected essays and reviews.

Gombrich was born in Vienna in 1909 and died in London in November 2001. He came to London in 1936 to work at the Warburg Institute, where he eventually became Director from 1959 until his retirement in 1976. He won numerous international honours, including a knighthood, the Order of Merit and the Goethe, Hegel and Erasmus prizes.

Gifted with a powerful mind and prodigious memory, he was also an outstanding communicator, with a clear and forceful prose style. His works are models of good art-historical writing, and reflect his humanism and his deep and abiding concern with the standards and values of our cultural heritage.

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