14th Edition - Gardner's Art through the Ages - A Global History

This is a very thorough book when it comes to covering world art through the ages. Great for college students and a must have for anyone interested in art. Also great is the Annotated books, Mona Lisa and Arch - check them out!

best book ever. I recommend buying a kindle fire and downloading the kindle version. the 1 part or 2 part books are a little bit heavy to move around alot. (and its close to the same price for the 1 part volume and a kindle fire, as it is for the 1 part book) well read great photos. I love the highlighting features of the kindle.

I recieved the book quickly but there was a minor issue Anderson when drawn to their attention they addressed it rapidly & handled it.
I thank them for being professional and addressing the issue promptly.

This book is heavy. Start exercising your back now if you're going to be packing this to class. The seller sent me the book as described in good condition. However, I hardly used it for class. All of the information in the book is available on sites like Wikipedia. I'll keep it though, it's quality information.

I bought this book for an art history class I was taking and planned to sell it after the class. But I was really impressed with the details and photos and the true 'learner friendly' quality. The CD is an amazing tool! I learned more from this book than all three of my art history classes combined. Great for Art Students and Art Lovers!

I rented this book for my art history class and although it had a strong scent of smoke, it was in good condition and served me well. If you don't like the smell of smoke, you may want to be cautious when renting this book as you may end up with the same one I had.

Fortunately, I don't mind the smell and this book served it's purpose.

When I found this book on the store I couldn't believe the price. I had to triple check the book cover and ISBN to make sure it was the correct book because the price was so much lower than I had seen it anywhere else(college book store, campus postings, other websites). Took a 'chance' and ordered it on a Thursday and it showed up on Friday, using the store Prime shipping. I opened the box and was pleased to find my book in exactly the condition it was described to be. Overall, excellent experience.

While the book teaches what it advertises, it is very...academia-like in places - very wordy and in-depth in the way that lovers of art might enjoy. This was for my Art 101 class, which was a GE class that I enjoyed generally, but not as something to further pursue.

The companion DVD is helpful with your studies, and is a nice addition to the package.

This was required for my college art history class. Lots of detail and readable, not all dry facts. Might not be too bad for the person who wants to learn about art history without a class, except for the steep price.

When trying to search for any word or term, sometimes nothing would come up or it would take aroun 20 to 30 seconds, Other times I would type in a word or term and nothing would come up then I type it again then a whole list would appear. It was just not very user friendly.

This textbook ran out from the bookstore at Cerritos College. This is the latest version that our professor wanted us to have beyond the 12th Edition that was suggested by the Art Department curriculum. This textbook is very up-to-date and comprehensive.

I wouldn't have bought this book if it wasn't for the class I'm taking because it just the history of art and the pictures to go along with it...the book was in okay condition...useable, for the most part...the edges where a bit torn up and some of the pages inside I had to tape...it had some markings in it as well but it's a used book so it's too be expected...I use it a lot for class though so, other than that I'm satisfied.

The material is fine. Some of the pages were sticky and there was a foam ear plug squashed between the pages. I don't get grossed out easily so it was no big deal but you asked for a rating and here it is. I would have given 5 stars if I hadn't found the ear plug.

Item arrived factory sealed but was missing the introduction chapter and 75% of the first chapter. Luckily my college professor was understanding of the missing pages. Had to logon to the publishers site and purchase the digital version(s) of the missing chapter(s). Not The fault of the store, just poor quality control from the publisher. Didn't have time to return book to the store because it was neeed ASAP for a college art history class so the missing pages had to be acquired digitally. Otherwise an okay (but expensive) college textbook.

I bought this book new and was it new! It was wrapped with all the extras inside. It was packed well and didn't have any horrific accidents on it's way to me! Exactly what I needed for my Art History class!!

It was great getting a used textbook for a college class that required this book. The price for a new textbook was astronomical! When the professor said he wanted us to get the book for the pictures, and it did not have to be new, it was a real money saver! Thank you the store! The book arrived with the packaging in bad condition, but the book itself was fine.

This book, like Gardner's Volume I is dissapointing for the 129.00 price I paid. The photographs are small, hard to see what they are writing about. The information is scattered, hard to compare simular works. The book is written to be overwhelming and cannot contribute to a student's success. Any students that must use this book, should and will spend many hours researching other art history books sites.
Worst of all is the companion site, which should be interactive, or at least connect to links correctly, is horrible, just horrible. I do not think that anyone went through the site to see if links work... They just randomly through them in with out consideration to the students that were spending so much for their book.........SAD!

This book was for my college art class, i was very helpful for the class, the only bad thing was that buying a used book you did not get a code that was needed to get into the extra on line help for the class.

This book is well written and an enjoyable escape from my art history classes.
I often find myself getting lost in book rather than listening to my Ben Stein-ish teacher.
I highly recommend this book.
If you are attending SBVC I highly recommend avoiding Professor Colote.

Wow, for starters, this is the book I needed. I had a very hard time even through well-known bookstores to find this edition (14th) at a decent price. I thought of getting the e-version but figured, no when it comes to Art History, you really want to see the pictures. The book arrived earlier than expected and I have it 2 weeks before my course actually begins. It's in pretty good condition the back cover on the bottom corner is curled a bit but other than that, oh and it's really really heavy. I can't hardly lift it for my really bad/weak wrists. It feels like I need to team lift it with my kid just to get it in my backpack. Overall great buy for the price.

I ordered this book for an Art History class that I was taking. Other than this being an older edition there is no difference between this and the newer edition. The information and images are equivalent just some of the page numbers may be off but it's worth saving the extra money.

What a fantastic book. I love the combination of history, religion, and art. I plan to use this book as I build my bucket list and visit all the wonders of the world. I just wish it was more affordable... still worth every penny!

I ordered this book as an e-book that is a rental for 60 days. It was supposed to come with a temporary access code for Cengage Brain so I can have access to the study guide and some other tools. I have not received my access code and the Cengage site is asking me to pay for the e-book and get the access code for the price that is lower than the store. I don't think I should have to pay again just to get the access code.

So I purchased the book only version with out the access code which is what I wanted. The problem is the ISBN they shipped me was with the access code which they conveniently placed a sticker over the bar code with ISBN of a book only version. So now I have a book with an ISBN code with no access code.

Overpriced part 2 of Gardner's, just because it is a new edition. Even though seller shipped it next day, Fed-Ed completely sucks! Why would it take 10 days to get from OR to IN? Then they hand it off to USPS anyway? USPS would have gotten in here in 3-5 days on their own.

Book needed for class took some ten days for delivery (within the timeframe indicated by the seller but still too long). Book arrived in very good condition. The good news: older edition of the book acceptable for class and saved me a bundle of money. Book is a very good introductory textbook in art history with excellent illustrations.

Professor Kleiner professes beyond his credentials. One way is by misrepresenting the religions of the religious art he evaluates. Conspicuous is that he hasn’t read the Bible or the Upanishads or any of the other scriptures defining the six most popular religions. And, considering the importance of religion to any history and to society, his not consulting credible professors is grossly irresponsible. And, as though his education in art or history has made him psychic, he also often professes intentions artists haven’t expressed of their own secular art. And, ignoring the conspicuous fact that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, he professes to know what’s beautiful. Other art historians do all that to some extent but not as routinely as Kleiner. And universities impose his book on their students. Think of the effect of that. HITRT

Useful. Constantly revised to create an income flow for the author & publisher. Weighs enough to be a deadly weapon if you whack someone up alongside their head. Standard art history text. I think teachers get a cut of the profits for requiring this tome for their classes.

I was excited to have a digital copy of this massive and expensive art history book for a college course I am taking. BUT it keeps crashing my kindle app on my mac laptop if I do anything except read and change pages. Forget about the handy search tool, dictionary tool and changing the zoom levels to see artwork closer up! EXTREMELY disappointed and had to order the actual book for WAY too much money to be able to use it like a real text/reference book. Going back to carrying a huge book is going to kill my back.

Wonderful Art History textbook. Very comprehensive. CD-ROM quite useful. Used this text for Advanced Placement Art History course in high school for 2006-2007 school year. Liked the book so much I purchased one from the store in May. The copy I bought is bound upside down (the cover is upside down compared to the text inside).

I just wanted to say that as a college student, and in need of my books as soon as possible, i am beyond happy that I received my book when I did. I chose the regular shipping and was not expecting my book for another week. Just wanted to say thanks!

This book is incredibly diffcult to navigate and study from. Much of it is written poorly with too many unneccesary tangents and scattered thoughts throughout each chapter. The lack of straightforward and deliberate thought makes it a beast to study from. I really wish my professor would have picked another textbook.

Downloaded it without reading the reviews I know that's my fault but I needed it for class at the moment so I paid and for what? Pictures high quality but the whole point of an etextbook is to give us the texts in it . Words and letters just scattered around I really wish I can get my money back

Wow, who knew art could be so boring? While this book offers a lot of information, it's presented in such a way that it makes art nearly painful. I only purchased this over priced, super-sized paperback because it was required for class. The Coursemate access card that comes with the book is worthless. Cengage's website is a joke...video's freeze most of the time (and are disappointing when they do play), navigation is poor and the information presented is only a repeat of what's already in the book. If this isn't a class requirement, don't waste your money and save your back from the pain of lugging this expensive doorstop around.

I ordered this book for an art history class I was taking. The book itself was very interesting&it great shape,! However, when I bought this book, it was supposed to come with the printed access card for online stuff,&it did not come with the book. I just got the book! I figure for the $79 and some change that I paid for the book, I should get everything that was promised.! Not very happy about that. But the book itself was great, very informative.

is alright. It's very dense. There wasn't as much history as I thought there might be. It mostly focuses on architecture I feel like. It is deffinately a good resource, I just would like to see more history than just a brief description of the city, it's contribution and the artists that come from there.

Probably wouldn't purchase it unless you plan to use it frequently.

The seller false advertized. He/she used the picture of the book I bought and sent a completely different book.The book took two weeks to get to me. On arrival the incorrect book was wrapped in a used paper grocery bag that was ripped in multipe places. Upon contacting the seller of the problem, they refused to remedy the problem. No refund, for their bogus product. Dont waist your money purchasing anything from this seller, they will only rip you off!

Okay, so this book is big. It's as big as a small child, basically. Which is good, and bad, I suppose. Carrying it all the way to class and around campus? Bad! (although your chiropractor will love you)Good, because it means there's tons of stuff in there. The pictures are gorgeous, the information is good. The shipping was fast, at least for me. It was required for my class...Why else wouldn't you want this book?

I bought this book expecting it in 1 week, to my surprise i got it in 2 days. Extremely satisfied by this product! It stated that it came with CD-Rom but i didnt receive it. Im not complaining i just wanted the book, thanks.

I paid to get my book with expedited shipping but after I personally contacted this seller (BBanx) he said he thinks he sent it last Friday. I asked him the actual date he sent it knowing that "think" usually means "I'm lying" He said he would do it the next day... THREE WEEKS AFTER HE SHOULD HAVE SHIPPED IT... I think people should know that textbooks aren't something he can keep lying around because students have deadlines. DO NOT BUY THIS MAN'S BOOK IT'S TOO MUCH OF A RISK

When i paid for, and opened up the book, the words are scattered around the pages. It legitimately looks like nonsense. I am very upset with this order. I would not recommend this book. I have nothing against the book itself. The electronic edition itself is glitched, there is no way possible to make out words on the page.

The book is in decent shape, but it took TWENTY DAYS to come!!! Unacceptable lead time. I ordered over a week before class was scheduled to start and got my book 2 days before my first unit is finished. This puts A LOT of unnecessary pressure to start and finish assignments in a very short time. I am disappointed and will seek other book sellers in the future.

This review is more about the quality of the book and not its contents. The book was so nice and clean and didn't smell like most rentals I receive. It looked basically brand new. I was really pleased.

Everything was great with the product, and it arrived in the beginning of the date range. But I'm throughly dissatisfied with the return policy. I am stuck with a book that I no longer need because it got shipped. SO make sure that the book will be for sure needed.

The book was shipped promptly but the seller was very ambiguous in some aspects of the order. They never stated whether the CD was included or not. I'm not saying that I expected the CD to be included but it would've been convenient if the seller was clear about it.

This is my first time to try the store Prime, am I disappointed.
I need the book ASAP, because I need to catch up with the reading which my professor had assigned. But considering the price of the book is so high, I check it out on the store instead of getting it from a book store.
I read the ads on the item page said, " Need the book on Monday? Try the store Prime! 1 to 2 days shipping!" (Not exactly these words, but exactly meaning that) $130 is still a little bit high... but considering it is a new book, plus, I can get it on Monday(9/9)! therefore, I purchased it! However, it turns out I will get it on 9/12! Is the Prime lied to me?

not in as great of shape on the outside as i would have liked, but pages inside all in tact, which is what really counts. very speedy delivery, which is most important to me.
thank you, would definitely order thru you guys again.

This book was a great deal cheaper than it was from my school's bookstore. It arrived quickly. I bought new, and it was wrapped with the CD attached and in plain view. The book itself is HUGE, but I have an older copy that is very nice and I expect great things from this book as well. It was cheaper to buy on the store new than it was to buy from my school used, and it's a great deal.

The book came as described by the seller and the CD that comes with the book is has great resources for studying the chapters but I have never waited so long for a book to arrive from the store, I ordered on the first week of my class and I got it the third week into my class which wasn't very helpful to me

Originally rented this book for my Art History class. At the end of the rental when I was supposed to send it back I couldn't part with it and ended up paying it off to own it! It is a great book with all the most important artwork from Renaissance to Modern Art.

The book arrived in an orderly fashion and was at a great price as well. It was MUCH cheaper to get through the store than it was through my school bookstore. I'm very happy with it right now, though I haven't begun using it just yet.

I work for a book distribution center and when I read the description that the book would have some water damage I expected the book to be a bit messed up. But there was never any mention that there was highlighting in the book. There was a lot of highlighting in there so much that the book is unable to be used I had to purchase another book so that I could even read it. I am sorry about this because I like the store and my company ships to them almost daily, I wished I had a better experience but at this time I am not real sure that I would use the store again.

I purchased this book and but did not receive it in the full condition described.Although the actual book was in good condition, it was missing an item that was supposed to come with it and I returned the book for that reason. However, the shipping was fast and the return process went quickly with no problems.

Just be careful ordering any items from VWINTON. I ordered 09/27/13 and received a damanged item on 10/10/13 which was a wide opened package (not small cracks here and there) that a mail man had to put it in a certain way so the book doesn't fall out of the box. It seemed like someone had to put it back once the book had fallen out of the box at some point because the plastic wrap that was supposed to keep the book clean was all ripped and the book was dirty and got beaten and the documents that was supposed to be inside of the plastic wrap are all over inside of the box, not sure if that's all of them either. I never seen any packages like this in my life so far. But this seller asked me to send me the picture of it for return then they said the book had no problem so they could not authorize the return although I explained them about the actual damage of the book. I filed a claim thru the store.com but they said it was already passed 14 day window for a return so it cannot be returned. When I created the return authorization, it did not mention anything about 14 day return policy until I've been trying to figure it out thru the seller and the seller did not even mention about the 14 day return policy instead they looked at the picture of the damanged package and they did not think the book had any problems. As of today, my family and I are permanently stop using the store.com but if you still do, watch out for VWINTON. They will pack a heavy text book with no bubble mailer to fill in or secure the item in a box and let it beaten during the delivery process. No matter what the blame will be on you. the store.com had delayed my responses and not responded in a timely manner and supported this seller by 14 day return policy which was never mentioned by the store.com until I filed the claim. My business, my family and I are totally done with the store.com.

(Please note that this review was written by Cigdem Gokce, medical doctor and amateur artist.) Hello fellow the store lovers! I returned this book the day it arrived because it was, quite briefly, a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! the store was great and caused me no trouble in the refund process. I am writing this review to warn other potential buyers. Misled by the fancy and lengthy comments provided by the publisher, I thought this book would provide me not only with an excellent text on the history of art, but with extra learning materials as well. The truth is very different from the advertised. The text is basically a very superficial and simplistic summary of art; it does not help increase the aesthetic appreciation of art or provide the means to see different forms of art within their historical, socioeconomical and cultural contexts. The images are of low resolution and most are only 1/4th the size of the page. Furthermore, there is NO CD INCLUDED AND NO SPECIAL MEANS TO ACCESS ITS COMPANION SITE. On the contrary, access to the publishers site is open and does not require any code number from the book!!! However, the supposedly companion site itself is NOT any more useful than the book; it contains some of the images of the book in addition to some test-type questions to be answered in text again and sent to teachers for grading and some links to museum sites, which are free to access anyway. I therefore would suggest that, unless you are an art student specifically requested to buy this book, you shouldn't waste your money! I would suggest the excellent reference of Marilyn Stokstad, entitled ART HISTORY, the latest edition of which comes with a CD containing many images. Another wonderful alternative would be the DK reference on art history, entitled Art, A World History (Millenium Edition). This is my first negative review for the store and I generally try to see the better part of books if only for the sake of the effort they represent; but I really do think that this latest edition of Gardner's book is nothing but an unfair abuse of what once must have been a useful reference, when it was first published. The latest writers and editors should be ashamed of failing to achieve the ideals and aspiration of the original writer, Ms. Gardner.

The book was in bad shape, plus my daughter ordered the wrong book as she needed volume 2 and we have tried to contact the store and the seller to ship back with no response and I am not a happy camper as were out $80 for a book she already had from her first semester! My daughter didn't open up the package until after Christmas as I bought them for her Christmas present and once she realized it was the wrong book we contacted the store right away!

Do NOT waste your time on the store Customer Service or the Kindle edition of this book. I spent over two hours getting the runaround and getting transferred to seven different customer service representatives - who apparently didn't communicate, so I had to keep repeating myself. My account became mysteriously unaccessible (which apparently they also couldn't bother to fix). I was also explained their bizarre digital vs. physical book rentals return policy and was offered nothing other than "I'm so sorry's" - including blatant avoidances to offer me support for Customer Service reviews after I requested it multiple times when I was unable to locate it on the site myself. No wonder they rate so highly in customer service - they're the only ones able to rate themselves. Now I must pay more than the book costs to rent a hard cover version for my college course, as I cannot access this format online in the Kindle Cloud Reader. I can only use a public computer, which I cannot download the reading application on. The other option is my small iPhone with poor battery performance. I've worked in many customer service occupations, and this is the worst I've had to deal with, which is especially surprising for such a wealthy company. This truly baffled me.

This was supposed to be a new book with CD. When I received it the CD was not included and the book does not appear to be new eg. bent covers, wrinkled pages and pages that stuck together. If it had not been for the fact that I needed the book for my school and did not have time to order another I would have sent it back. I sent Dana Miller a message to please send my CD but she never replied. Would not recommend this vender to anyone.

I will never again order from this company. As I am trying to study for my final, I realize very important pages of the book are missing. Granted, I just found out because they have only occurred after 600 pages of reading. I am so angry and I paid over $90 for this book that is is not even complete. This is the worst.

This is not a realistic book you can use. It weighs like 20 lbs. and hurts my back in my bookbag unlike anything else I have ever felt. I carried it to the library about 3 times and realized I need to sell it before I have a back injury. I suggest getting the paperback versions that split the book into sections I & II if you need them for Art History I & II. Almost nothing is changed between editions, so you can get the 12th edition for $5 maximum and save money.

Also, look into Art History for Dummies. I picked up that book based on a review someone else wrote and I found extremely helpful.

Having read Stokstad and Jansen, I continued my trek through Art History 101 books (because outside of an intro art history course, these are not great choices to introduce yourself to art). Gardner's book follows the exact same chronological format as the other two. But there are better photos (probably because they paid to take photos directly for the book rather than utilizing some common database). But for a book that claims to offer better historical context, I found the actual writing on history worse than in Janson. Janson does a much better job telling you what happened and how the art responded to it. Still, there are a lot of new things to see in this book (and happily I used an eBook so didn't have to carry around this heavy thing). The best part of the book was on the art of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Most likely because of the professor writing this book is an expert on those time periods.

At the end of the day though, if you have to read this book and find yourself interested in one of the chapters more than others then check out the bibliography and get yourself some more in depth books on the subject of your choosing.

The book costing around 200 dollars including P&P !!!!! Gardner's Art through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume I (with Art Study & Timeline Printed Access Card), came damaged from poor packing. I complained and never even received an answer.
And now the store askes me for a review?

Gardner's Art Through the Ages is a fantastic resource. This book is written more for an advanced audience. The text covers a myriad of important topics. There are sections on art history and critical perspectives. This is Volume II of a massive collegiate work. This resource is often assigned for art majors in college. I read the book because my wife was an art major in college and I was interested in the book from a historical perspective.

The resource covers art between the late Middle Ages to the present. Every significant artist and distinct art style are covered. The book focuses mostly on painting, but architecture, sculpture, and woodcuts are given great prominence as well. A strength of the book is the inclusion of African, Native American, and Asian art styles and genres.

This book may not be for everyone. The writing style is a little dry at times. It is written for an audience that already has some familiarity with major artists and styles. Still, this is an impressive one-volume resource that will prove to be of great value to artists and historians alike. The book will appeal to historians because it has lengthy sections describing the historical context and conditions in which the art was produced.

This review is from the perspective of an AP Art History study group for which my daughter is a peer facilitator. This volume and its companion are among several resources the group is using. Gardner's 13th edition is our course spine.

First, the positives. Working through the study guide does help the students break down and digest Gardner's very dense text. The Short Answer and Summary Chart sections are good review tools. The self quizzes contain several means of self-assessment, including short text, multiple choice, pictorial (including side-by-side), and essay prompts. There are answer keys for the quizzes in the back of the book (though not for the other exercises). The order of study guide material mostly matches the order of textbook topics. The essay questions provide good inspiration for group discussion (as well as essay writing).

Now, the negatives. While evidently edited for the 13th edition of Gardner's Art Through the Ages, this study guide and its companion (Vol. II) aren't a perfect match. The essay prompts sometimes ramble. A few of the images in the quizzes are too poorly reproduced to be useful. We found occasional references that are hard or impossible to find in the text, some mismatch of emphasis, and many grammar and spelling mistakes. Some errors are due to the publisher (e.g. a duplicate Summary Chart in the wrong chapter). One gets the impression that this was a rush job with little proof-reading. It is odd that former co-author Christin Mamiya's name appears in the title of the study guide, when the 13th edition of Gardner's introduced Kleiner as its sole author. (In fact, the publisher boasted of the edition's single author, single voice approach, which continues in the 14th edition.)

Despite the negatives, I'm very grateful this study guide was available. Overall, this has been an excellent time saver: there's no way I could have developed better review material on my own, given the time I have available! For that reason, I would certainly purchase both volumes again.

A final note for those studying AP Art History: these study guides don't mesh perfectly with the AP approach, but they are not intended to. These are not APAH prep books. Used within a comprehensive APAH syllabus, though, they are a worthwhile supplement.

I love this book, I had to get the smaller volume 1 paperback for an Art History Class that I took. The teacher did inform me that the next class involved volume 2 so I just got this complete 13TH Edition Hardcover. Now between the two courses, I had to read only about 8-9 chapters total. I just could not, I read the entire book, cover to cover. Had it for about 1.5 years and I am re-reading it. I am re-enrolling in school as an Art History Major because i love it so much. This book really did change my life. It opened my eyes to a new world and makes me very excited. Worth Every Penny!! other notes, it is very heavy and the pages are fragile, i teared a few while turning some of the pages. I think every home should have one great art book. I suggest this. It is quite complete, chronological, good graphics and an easy read. You may want to get a supplement that focus' on more modern and contemporary art, starting in the 1990s through now. This does a good job of it, better before that. great book., 8 STARS.

This book was a required textbook for a 200-level Art History course that I took in University. It is probably one of the most entertaining and interesting textbooks that I was ever required to spend $100+ on. Very very heavy at 1150 over-sized pages.

Firstly, it is full of large, colourful pictures. They make turning the page fun and engrossing. Secondly, the book is written in such a way that you're actually INTERESTED (this is rare in a textbook!). Thirdly this book is COMPLETE-- it literally surveys art from cave paintings to contemporary photography, and every single thing inbetween.

It's the sort of book that, sure, works well as a required textbook, but it's also the sort of book that you keep after the class ends because it's just GOOD. Honestly, I think it would be a great addition to *anyones* collection-- I keep mine on my coffeetable!

I first used Gardner's Art Through the Ages for my AP art history class back in high school, and I still refer to it sometimes for my college art history courses. It goes over a huge array of artists and periods (both in the Western and non-Western traditions) and is helpful if you need to find some general information or refresh your memory. The picture reproductions are very good (if not slightly dark).
Be aware that this book will sometimes not provide in-depth explanations for all of its subjects; however, this text is a firm foundation of knowledge for beginner art history students. Highly recommended.

This book is great! I used it for an AP art history class in a public school (so I didn't have to buy it) and now I want my own copy! I hope this is a required book for one of my art history classes later in college; if I buy it I'll keep it forever! It is very durable, but unfortunately, it is huge! I've read complaints that it doesn't "enhance art appreciation"... well I disagree! My tastes in art have dramatically altered and expanded, I can see an influence in my personal art projects, and have decided to tack on an art history minor to my BFA. Someone also complained that the pictures were so small they only took up a quarter of a page at best. True. But this is an overview! There is so much art in the world and throughout history it is difficult to capture every bit (though this book very well tries!). The pictures have to be smaller to make room for the sheer quantity of them! Also, the text was incredibly clear, informative, and captivating. This is the only textbook of which I have read every single line. It was that good! Pricy, yes, but the durable binding, the vibrant color saturation, the captivating text... it's an art piece in its self!

The newest edition of this book has some great qualities about it, namely the interactive cd to be utilized as a study aid (the flash card section was beneficial to me), the variety of objects chosen to represent the period/culture have improved, in my opinion, from the other editions as the book has updated archaeological finds. The only disappointing feature I found was in the text itself. The "extra" information boxes including explination of ancient religions and preservation techniques were facinating, but the bulk of text I found to dance around the point. It kept trying to be politically correct, such as changing Venus of Willendorf to Woman of Willendorf. Granted this new take is supposed to account for counter arguments against the purposes of certain objects, but I found that in the attempt to be objective there was a loss of passion for the object and culture itself. I also found that the terminology the book chose to define within the text was unneccessary (vocabulary such as hypostyle hall needs to be defined, not vocab such as carbon dating). However, overall the book holds to the tradition of the series by displaying stunning visual images (all objects are in colour no less!)and the information presented is rather informative, even if the style of writing is "too correct" in some places.

For those who are new to art history and need a good overview, Gardner has always been a great place to start. It and Janson's History of Art are the books most often used for introductory art history classes, and you can see why: Garner gives a really broad and understandable overview of thousands of years of art history. Plus, nearly all of the book's illustrations are in color, which is a very rare thing for any art history book.

My only criticisms are for more advanced students of art history. First of all, if you've got the 11th edition, don't worry about getting the 12th - the new edition makes relatively small changes to the old version, adding more color pictures as well as the CD-ROM. And those who already have a good knowledge of art history may want to look elsewhere - being such a wide survey, "Art Through the Ages" doesn't have time to go into a lot of the little details and lesser-known pieces that make art history so fun.

I'm currently working my way through the 8th Ed of this book which I picked up second hand. I'm finding it to be a very good read - the passage of art through the ages is woven together well with the various "ism's" explained well. I'd consider this book to form the foundation of an art book collection, using it as a springboard in to more advanced/theoretical tomes. I have no idea what the 12th Edition contains but I would question having to pay $100 for a copy. Find a earlier edition, second hand and then grab a newer copy to see what new "ism's" have been added. I cannot imagine that the body of the main text has changed much, the most recent edition probably has greater coverage of the "Post-Modernism" and whatever is currently in vogue.

I bought this text for my art history class, and I must say that the parts of the book about European art are great, but it fails with regards to its treatment of Asian, African and Native American Art. If I were a member of any of the above-mentioned groups, I would be greatly offended, because it just flies through those chapters, with a very Western way of looking at things...sad! The other sections are amazing, but this way of looking non-european art is common and I should be used to it by now! Since my course is based around this text, I must say that I am disappointed by my course too!

I use the Gardner's Art through the Ages book in my AP Art History course, and have found that students who order and use the study guides take better notes while reading the text. This is certainly a college level textbook and the lengthy readings can sometimes be hard to get through. The study guides emphasize important terms and vocabulary, and help the reader to pull out important "firsts" in the time period or culture being studied. Along with notes from classroom lectures, the study guides make a great review tool in preparing for the National exam in May.

I purchased this book for my Art History class. Very interesting pictures along with non-boring texts. I really like the accompanied CD as it has all pictures from this text as well as other version of Gardner's art history books. Pictures are crystal clear. Although I finished that class long ago in 2002 and sold the book for school's book store with attractive price, I still have a copy of that CD and often reviewed whenever I saw some interesting stories of art history (such as female goddess from Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code). All pictures are under flash cards section. Besides a good text book, it should be kept as a reference.

I am crushed to receive this wonderful book in terrible condition. It came in a box 4 times height go book thickness.
It was not WRAPPED AT ALL, even in 1 piece of paper!!!!!!!! Something very heavy had been dropped, apparently
on the box and it was crushed, with the beautiful hardback cover completely torn/pulled apart(though still together).
I must return it immediately and am trying to find out how to do that; it came USPO, today:June 25th, 2016.

Jeannette G. Walker

I'm an AP Art History student in high school, and I fully recommend Gardner's; I bought this book for my personal library. Not only is it an easy read, it's interesting, engaging and informative. In each chapter it covers the social, political, and economical characteristics and all the attributes that affected the art styles of the particular period; not only is the information concise and detailed, it's generalized enough so not to be boring or flood you with too much information.

The pictures and diagrams are in high-quality, color representations with easy to understand reference numbers and information. Only a few pictures are in black and white either because of original colors of the piece or the work is better represented that way. The CD is easy to use, and great for reviewing the pieces and related information for tests, or memorization.

The glossary, index and guide to pronuncing artists' names are comprehensive and easy to understand.

I also recommend the accompanying study guide by Kathleen Cohen (the author might differ for other editions), it stresses the right information.

GET THIS BOOK! It works wonders, currently I have the highest grade in the class with a 103% because of the quality of this book.

I took one Art History course in my college career at Boston University and it was taught by Prof. Fred Kleiner, the author of this book. I clearly remember, over 25 years later, how wonderful and exciting Fred Kleiner's lectures in Art History were. When I go to museums I remember Prof. Kleiner's passionate, stirring descriptions of art and architecture. I was a business major, and his love for art really broke through and taught me to understand what is so wonderful about art. We also used Gardner's Art Through The Ages back in 1980, but it was before he was the author.

bought for an art history class. informative and very interesting. full of knowledge. however, a pattern i noticed that made me cringe five chapters in: any depiction of a nude woman is explained as, "this is for babies" or "this is for sex." (fertility, eroticism.) depictions of nude men were not even vaguely speculated as being for sex. the homoeroticism of greek culture was mentioned in one sentence somewhere, in an unclear way.. if this is a problem in all of art history, we need to diversify art historians. very clearly studied/written from the perspective of a euro-colonial post-puritanical patriarchal society. 'women are for babies and sex and gay men don't exist in history. also all cultures from the beginning of time, use gender binarism, there have been no variations ever. we know this. prehistoric cultures lacked writing but we know this and are basing everything we write off of it.' k.. thanks for enlightening me.

Fred Kleiner undoubtedly knows a lot about art through the Middle Ages, but after that, there is a LOT of misleading and factually incorrect information; I know, because I reviewed a chapter for the publisher. This problem is especially chronic in the chapters dealing with the 19th and 20th centuries. You might as well make up your own stories to go along with the (often poorly chosen) images.