Art History Basics: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners by Jesse Bryant Wilder

Kindle Customer: Update on previous review: Book arrived today at last, and was in good condition. Thank you. I will order from this company again in future, but will keep in mind that delivery may be a little later than advertised. All good. Thank you.

United Kingdom on Nov 22, 2022

maryann: Book like new, great vendor.

United States on Jul 29, 2021

Lindsay: This helped me study for my MTELs, I’d never tried one of these before but they are organized in a very practical way that’s easy to understand. Enjoyable to read, and helped me pass my exam with flying colors :)

United States on Feb 10, 2020

Christopher Jay: I cannot recommend this book enough if you are a beginner looking for an introduction to what is a complex subject. It covers all the major areas, major artists and styles. I love this book.

Be aware, if your interest is in modern art (suprematism, surrealism, de stijl, constructivism) is covered in much less depth than other periods such as renaissance, baroque, byzantine etc.

Overall I cannot recommend this enough, even the barer chapters give you a fantastic overview.

United Kingdom on Mar 12, 2019

T: I bought this book as I didn't know much about Art and it really helped me ! Written in the traditional Dummies style, it is entertaining to read. However, there is only a limited number of colour photographs, which is a bit disappointing for an Art book. But i guess it is to keep the costs down !

United Kingdom on Aug 07, 2018

Annabell: I bought this as I am doing an Art History degree, and thought it would be a useful book to have - but not sure that it will be much help as it is just skims the surface of the subject - better for casual reading than for study I would say. It is laid out in the 'Dummies' usual easy style and you can dip into any page and not feel out of your depth, which is what it is for really. I will keep it on my shelf in case I get a mental block about something, so not disappointed as for the price it is good value.

United Kingdom on Oct 09, 2017

Crazed Collector: Needed this for College, and what can I say, it is the exact textbook the teacher requested of us and it was cheaper than the school store price. BUT yes, It is a pretty great book actually! It is easy to get through, pretty thorough, it gets you to learn the big points of art history quickly and properly. It is also not a hard read or an abundantly large textbook (as far as textbooks go anyways), so it won't break your back or mind. ;)

OH, and the pictures: YES, there are lots and high quality, with the occasional really useful zoom in on a piece!

Canada on Mar 25, 2016

meldanomo: Fantastic work that hits all of the high--and low--points of the history of world art. Done with humor as well as great savvy, Wilder's book is a great tool for dummies and even non-dummies to learn about every aspect of art history and art appreciation. Well-organized with an excellent introduction to the elements of art design and what to look for in art, including a section on the viewer's perspective. One caveat: This book focuses on Western Art.

United States on Sep 14, 2015

Greg Miller: I saw this book started off with ancient art, which I really have no interest in, but was willing to force my way through it anyway. I was pleasantly surprised when the author almost ordered me to not read parts I wasn't interested in, and that most parts of the book were self contained. I think it really lives up to that.

I read the Kindle edition of this book, and I knew it'd be difficult to read the text and look at the artwork at the same time. I was very pleased to find I really didn't need to. The author did a great job of describing the important parts of the works and what was unique about them, so much so that most of the time I didn't bother actually looking at the photos unless they were incorporated into the text. And I think as long as the reader knows and expects the book to be about the history of art, and not just a collection of pretty pictures, they will be very pleased with this book.

United States on Jun 14, 2012

Alexandra: This book will definitely not take the place of attending lecture. May or may not be able to replace the textbook. In my case, it did. It doesn't have many of the works of art we covered, but it gives a great summary of each period's art in only 3 pages max. It's witty, it's easy to understand and, unlike Gardner's, fun to read. I feel like with this and my lecture notes, I was set.

United States on May 15, 2011