This book is as annoying, frustrating, and disappointing as it is beautiful. So many of the images are reproduced in postage-stamp size or, if larger, only as a detail. I just can't imagine why anyone would choose to torture us by presenting an incredibly splendid variety of work, half of which can't be seen. The design, layout, and sumptuous color all contribute to the visual beauty of the book; however, it is at the expense of the art itself.

Zoo is a small-in-size book, but it is brimming over with clever juxtapositions of styles, periods, techniques of making art about animals. We are again indebted to Lucie-Smith for spicing this beautifully designed, written and illustrated treatise with works by contemporary artists who are perhaps not yet known to the world at large in the company of their famous colleagues. How often are we allowed to discover new images as we leaf through pages of old favorites from the masters, from antiquity, from established 20th Century artists? The unifying element is in the chapter divisions; each chapter studies a different animal group. This little gem is a perfect book for art afficiandos who think they've seen it all, as well as for animal lovers and scholars, and people who simply love fine art admixed with erudite writing.

...i waited a whole year to see the fantastic photos described by the editor, so the disappointment was a crushing blow -- let me be frank: this book does not contain the photos described. nor does it teach me anything new about homoerotic desire ... nor does it's photographic content approach the quality of it's scholarly writing. unfortunately many scholars dream great concepts but don't follow through in their practical attempts at creating what they've described. lucie-smith is a fantastic writer, but he admits in the introduction that he isn't a trained photographer...

Not only is Edward Lucie-Smith one of our more important art historians today and undoubtedly the most published (!), he is one of the more creative thinkers in bringing all of the art world to the public. In this volume he juxtaposes sculpture from all ages with photographs that seem as timeless as the stone bodies he emulates. The photography is his own, and though we have seen incidental works by him in other volumes, this essay is the first to my knowledge to extensively survey his output. The lighting, the angles, the cropping of the images all provide the viewer with an interpretive stance. Lucie-Smith does not settle for suggestions - he makes us work to understand the beauty of line. At times I see the surface of the images of his madels as too grainy for reproduction, but exposure to his previous thoughts and treatises assure that he knows exactly what he is doing. This is a very different - and welcome - take on the relationshp of sculpture and photography from the ever inventive Lucie-Smith.

Edward Lucie-Smith is an accomplished poet, art historian and now demonstrates his skill as a brilliant photographer--the joy of the educated eye instead of the academically trained photographer is transcendent. This is a book to sit down with and linger over. The juxtaposition of classical statuary seen from a unique angle and men in unique postures is brilliant. The use of natural light transforms stone into flesh and vice versa. The shots of lovers in a pool--the abstracted lyricism is breathtking. Buy two copies because you'll want to share this book.

The author draws heavily from firsthand accounts of the period with some attempts to weed out the falsehoods. The story he tells flows fairly well and the naration is smooth. The book made for a good read.

My only detraction was that the author attempted, wherever possible, to explain the actions or motivations of Joan of Arc through the use of psychoanalitic techniques, with heavy emphasis on Freudianism.

"Toulouse-Lautrec" by Edward Lucie-Smith is a great book on Lautrec, mostly from the biographic standpoint. Lucie-Smith is also very amusing when examining plates of Lautrec, for the most part he points out the style--then procedes to tell the reader who is in the plate, and their relationship to Lautrec. One of whom was Emile Bernard's obessed mistress, who added Bernard as her last name. For the most part this book was really interesting because of the funny tidbits that Smith throws in. The plates are decent, they are on adverage a little more than a a half a page, with really good color, and you can see most of the brush strokes.