This is a wonderful book that every person who appreciates classical art will love. From Mesopatamia to the natives of Australia. This is one of my best books. Some things you will find are:

BIRTH OF ART

old stone age-Venus, cave paintings etc.

middle stone age-rock shelter paintings etc.

new stone age-stonehenge, Marching warriors etc.

ANCIENT NEAR EAST

Sumer-god Abu, ziggurats, UR, white temple, sculpture etc.

Akkad-Victory Stele, Sound box, Gold bull's heads etc.

Bablonia-Stele of Hammurabi, liopn gate, hanging gardens, Ishtar gate, bronze bells etc.

Assyria-Citadel of Sargon II, winged bulls, sculptures, limestone sculptures, etc.

Elam and Achaemenid Persia-palace of Darius, marble capitals, sculptures, bronze cauldrons, etc.

ANCIENT EGYPT

eARLY DYNASTTY+oLD KINGDOM-WOODEN ARTS, STEPPED PYRAMID, TEMPLES, GREAT PYRAMIDS, VALLEY TEMPLES, SPHINX, WOODEN SCULPTURES AND STATUES, ETC.

Middle Kingdom-Beni Hasam, paintings, temples etc. New Kingdom-temple of Hatsheput, Abu Simbel, pylon, horus, Amen-re, Ramses II, wall paintings, Nefertiti etc.

AEGEAN, CYCLADIC, MINOAN, AND MYCENAEAN

Early Minoan-Cycladic idols, jars, pots, pitchers, etc.

Middle Minoan-carved and painted pots etc. Late Minoan-palace at Knossos, Megaron's paintings, Bull paintings, pottery, sculptures, snake goddess, dagger blades, lion gate, etc.

Mycenaean-dagger blades, gold masks, warrior vases, etc.

ANCIENT GREECE

Geometric+Archaic-Dipylon vases, century pitchers, painted pots, plates, bronze early sculptures, marble statues (early), doric and Ionic colemns, Basilicas, temple of Hera, etc.

Early Classical-bronze statues,disc throwers, marble temples, Apollo statues, etc.

High Classical-parthenon, acropolis, marble statues, centaur statues, Athena Nike, porch of maidens, paintings, mature art, amphitheaters, Nike of Samothrace, temples. etc.

Late classical-Hellenistic-Aphrodite of Melos, temple of Apollo, mosaics, classical greek marble statues, temples, sculptures, Miletus etc.

ETRUSCAN-ROMAN

Etruscuns-wall paintings, painted terra cotta, sculptures, she-wolf, romulus and Remus, pots etc.

Romans-sculptures, Pompey, Pompeii, temples, colosseum, theater, circus etc.

Early-late empire-colosseum, mosaics, trajan, pantheon etc.

CHRISTIAN, BYZANTINE, ISLAMIC

Christian-catacomb, St. Pauls, St. Peters etc.

Byzantine (late+Early)-chests, mosaics, churches, sculptures, etc.

Islamic-Hagia Sophia, Al-Hambra, capitals, Blue Mosque, great mosque, Cordoba, Mshatta palace, Lahore rugs etc.

MEDIEVEL ART

Migration-jewelery, mosaics, gold and enamel, viking ships, broochs, paintings, etc.

Carolingian-gold altars, coins, St. Riquier, etc.

Ottonian-St. Michaels, gates, gothic, paintings, etc.

ROMANESQUE ART

all arts- sculpture, architecture, paintings, pottery etc. (LEANING TOWER)

GOTHIC

all gothic arts-cathedral, glass paintings, Chapelle, statues, etc.

INDUS VALLEY (PAKISTAN, INDIA)

Indus-Harrappa, Mohenjdaro, Asoka, sculptures etc.

Buddhist-Hindu-Siva, Stupa, Khajuraho, Bayon, Angkor Wat, etc.

CHINA

Shang, Chou, Ch'in, Sui dynasty-tomb of emperor, paintings, writing,flying horse, fireworks, dragon festivals etc.

T'ang, Sung, Yuan, Ming, Ch'ing-headless statues, sculpture, architecture, temple of the sun etc.

JAPAN

Archaic, Asuka, Heian, Kamakura-figures, Kondo, Japaneses houses, warriors, etc.

Ashikaga, Momoyama, Edo, domestic-paintings, gardens, Ogata Korin, the great wave painting, etc.

NATIVE AMERICAS, AFRICA, SOUTH PACIFIC

NATIVE ARTS-BONE, EMBROIDARY, WEAVING, WOODEN Sculptures etc.

Mesoamerica-Olmec statues, easter island, terra cotta figures, tenochtitlan temple sculptures, Incan gold crafts, Machu Picchu, Jaguar pyramid, Mayans, Aztecs, Incas etc.

North America-Pueblo houses, Cliff palace, masks, totem poles etc.

Africa- sculptures, masks, bronze arts, dancing costumes, etc.

Oceania-engraving, sculptures, boomerangs, animal paintings, wooden tools, palm houses etc.

I'm sure you'll love this book, it is fantastic. It would appeal to anyone who appreciates art and architecture. These series can be collected and this one is Helen Gardner's first issue so would help your collection. This book includes history facts, lovely pictures, paintings in 591 pages!

-------------AHMED MASHHOOD AGE 12-------------- HOPE YOU FOUND IT USEFUL!

i used this book in an art history course and upon comparison with various other art history texts, it proved itself to be the best resource available. i recieved a perfect score on the art history AP test thanks to this book.

This book has the most famous and interesting works of art and has very interesting things to say about them. A great book for an art lover, or someone who's just starting out. Highly recommended!

Short review: ... buy it. If it requires selling vital organs or loved ones to pay for it, it's worth it.

Long review: I enrolled in an Art History course with no idea what I was going to get as a textbook. This book is well-written, intelligent, informative without being overly esoteric, and above all beautiful. The prints are generally in color and always well-reproduced. Historical context is always provided, which gives a solid background for anybody looking to learn about the time any artwork was created. The text also offers insightful commentary about each piece selected for display. This book is so good, in fact, that it's become known as the semi-official Art History 101 textbook. Even if the history's not your thing (and for crying out loud, why not?), the book provides untold hours of beauty.

One word: perfection.

If you are taking an art history class and this book is a text for it - buy it!!! I borrowed it from a friend to save some money and now, I am sorry I did. I have graduated from college, but loved the art class so much, that I wish I had bought the book. I would love to look through it now. It is full of wonderful information - you can't go wrong!!!

Despite 10 pound book up four flights of stairs at school, I found that this book is one of the most resourceful. There is a historical timeline that parallels goings on in the rest of the world that is very helpful so that you could get the gist of what's going on at the time. Also, in the text itself, it gives definitive explanations to what is happening at the time so that you can understand fully what the artist is saying or where he/she is coming from. For those who do not know classics, bibilical stories, and other things, there are also good explanations for those, so the reader/student is enlightened and erstwhile, in comprehension of the work. Absolutely the best resource when it comes to art history and the interpretation of art.