The Story of Art

an appropriate read for children of the era of the time it was written, but....where's Josephine in Napoleon's story for instance?
nevertheless, i am reading it with great enjoyment. However it could do with updating; perhaps as an appendix?

Having already been exposed to art history and criticism, I felt at times that this book was overly simplistic. (It was originally written for "young people" after all...) What was harder for me to appreciate were the frequent passages in which Gombrich gives vent to his own personal opinions (gushing on about Rubens for instance.) He makes a token effort to be objective but his Eurocentric bias toward the superiority of Classically-inspired Renaissance art is clear.

However, as an introduction to Art History and Art Appreciation, you could do a lot worse. Gombrich is easy to read, he states himself clearly, he presents the history of art (in Europe) as a steady evolution of ideas, rather than a compartmentalized series of Eras & Styles as so many academic textbooks do. He selected illustrations that most effectively elucidate his point. Useful as his book is, it would be a mistake to treat him as a final authority on the subject. _The Story of Art_ is merely an INTRODUCTION to art. Once Dr. Gombrich has opened the door for you, you should leave him behind and continue your explorations on your own, or at least with a different guide. Form your own opinions; that's part of the experience of art.

About the Pocket Edition specifically: The text is in the front (printed on very thin "Bible" paper) and the illustrations are in the back. Phaidon has provided two built-in ribbon bookmarks so you can keep your place in both sections. It's an interesting solution for making the book smaller. I can vouch for the fact that it's easy to carry around, since I took it with me on two trips while reading it, but the arrangement does have its drawbacks. Having to flip back & forth to look at the pictures as they are referred to in the text, and having to hold two places simultaneously while reading means that you have to use both hands. I like to read while I eat (yeah, I'm one of THOSE people) but found it was impossible with this edition. If portability and price are your top concerns, then this is the edition to get. Otherwise, shell out the extra $$ for the full-sized version.

This is a presentation of the history of arts. It should have been issued in multiple volumes. As it is, especially in paperback, it's too difficult to enjoy. With infinite patience, it might be useful to the reader.

Gombrich serves as a fantastic tour-guide through the ages of art. In simple language, he helps us appreciate the phenomenon of art, its grand triumphs, its unique personalities, its diverse aims. A wonderful book to read and re-read to survey some of humanity's greatest artistic achievements across 5,000 years of history. The full-color illustrations are a great aid to the book, and it's much appreciated that Gombrich refers to the illustrated art throughout so we learn to see art as an interconnected, progressive tradition (Gombrich also acknowledges that, while generally useful, a single story of art can be a misleading oversimplification). One might be quick to fault the book for what it lacks--it stops after about mid-20th century, it heavily favors Western creations--but for an accessible introductory text, it doesn't get better than this.

I normally find portraits and religious paintings with all those angels boring and battle fields or works in broad format seem too "crowded" to me, so basically I did not think much of the art performed before the Flemish painters of the XVI century, which started painting rural life and landscapes. I am glad I bought Mr. Gombrich's "Story of Art", since it introduced me to a subject that I thought was only interesting to art lovers and true "conoisseurs"; it helped me appreciate paintings I do not like and see art in a different way. This book is probably aimed at people like me, if you already know more about art, a deeper treatise on technique, composition or else will maybe suit you better.

I am of those who believe that one of the characteristics of great expertise is the ability to explain complicated things in a simple way, which shows that the author not only understands but fully masters the topic. Well, this is the case, the "Story" of art is not a dry "history of art", it truly narrates a story; it puts the artists and their works in a well explained historical and artistical context and allows you to appreciate equally works of art from different time periods. As the author puts it: "the purpose and technical resources may change, but art itself does not progress in the same sense as science", a work of art is complete as such in each time period. I also appreciated that the author included some architecture, not only paintings and sculptures, to frame the master pieces in their full context.

My first encounter with Mr. Gombrich was his book The Image and the Eye: Further Studies in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation which captivated me, since it combined science with art in a masterful way. Mr. Gombrich was probably one of the first art experts to be interested in the research done in the emerging neurosciences, specially regarding vision. His attention was drawn to how we receive external stimuli (light), how our brain perceives and forms a three-dimensional image, how it makes sense of a figure of which it only sees a countour like in a caricature, etc., but best of all, his insights were explained using pictures of great works of art. After reading this book, which I also highly recommend, I started searching for other books written by him and was gladly surprised to find out that he had written a "Story of Art" as well, which by the way seems to be better known and easier to understand than the Image and the eye.

16 editions supervised by the author talk of the care with which a book was written, revised and edited. My Spanish version of this 16th edition, full format is also excellent (translation inlcuded), congratulations to Phaidon Press for a beautifully presented book.

Replacement copy of my college Art History text. I replaced it because it also puts the art in context of the history of the times and is, therefore, a good way to delve into that history as well. Highly thought of authority.

Originally, Dr. Gombrich intended (in the 1940s) for this book to be read by high school students; or as he writes "young people." Since then, The Story of Art became popular and his book mushroomed into several languages and editions. Because his language is non-fussy and non-scholarly, I have recommended this book to many non-artist friends; none of whom could get beyond the first few pages. So the reader may need some art background. But if you want to know why the Egyptians chose to draw as they did, or why Gothic art and architecture looks as it does (or "what's THAT all about?"), then this is the book for you. I have reread the book three times and may reread it one or two times more before I go to that great studio in the sky.

Anyone interested in art will find this book amazing. It begings with the early traces of art in human history and ends around the 80's. The author makes a great job in transmitting his passion for the works he explains and you start to look at them with different eyes, understanding what the artist wanted to do with each stroke.
I've been to a lot of museums around the world and paintings were something that didn't attract me much. However, after reading this book I regret not having learned all this before. Please read it if you plan to go to Europe.

I cannot recall ever reading a college textbook written with such grace and quiet authority. Everything from the cave paintings to the latest post modern is mentioned. Every art work described is illustrated as well. Gombrich tends to return to the same themes throughout history so you can see how different artists portrayed a king, a child, etc. Great care is taken to show why a later phase succeeded an earlier one. Connections of art to national styles and world history are explained well.

Of course, the majority of famous works must be left out, but you can find internet sites to supplement your favorites. If you like history, are inclined to visual display, and appreciate well-crafted prose, this book will deliver on all counts.

Originally, Dr. Gombrich intended (in the 1940s) for this book to be read by high school students; or as he writes "young people." Since then, The Story of Art became popular and his book mushroomed into several languages and editions. Because his language is non-fussy and non-scholarly, I have recommended this book to many non-artist friends; none of whom could get beyond the first few pages. So the reader may need some art background. But if you want to know why the Egyptians chose to draw as they did, or why Gothic art and architecture looks as it does (or "what's THAT all about?"), then this is the book for you. I have reread the book three times and may reread it one or two times more before I go to that great studio in the sky.

As many people have already reviewed this book, I will only say that from the beginning to the end, that is from the prehistoric period to late XXth century, it manages to give a clear idea of what masterpieces are, why they are considered masterpieces, who the great artists are and why they are considered great. Gombrich has a unique gift as an art historian: a concise, pedagogical, unpretentious style that appeals to the amateur reader and the broad public. The text constantly refers to the illustrations, which makes the reading even easier and entertaining.

This book is concise, even though fairly comprehensive. It gives beginers in this field the necessary basis and never gets boring. One reads and learns, and enjoys the many pictures in the book. Gombrich is simple, clear, and above all, he loves the master pieces he introduces. He makes one discover the major periods, the major movements and also the life of the major Masters.
It is as instructing as a History book, and as captivating as a Novel: the Story of Art is definitely a good title!
The first book one should have on the subject.

I took an Art Appreciation course my senior year of college and this was the text book that my instructor gave to us. From day one I loved the course and I highly enjoyed reading the book. Dr. Lambertson stood before our class the last day of teaching and told us not to sell our books back because we would regret it later. He swore by this book. He was right too. I was so desperate for money that I sold back my edition of the book and since that day, five years ago, I have kicked myself REPEATEDLY for selling that book back. There was so many things I wanted to look up in it and then remembered that I'd been enough of an idiot to sell back my copy of the book. I'm very, very pleased that the store is offering this book up for sale.

The book itself combines the history of the world and art (which makes sense). It shows how history influences art and how art changes over time. The photos and prints in the book are spectacular as well. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about art (or history) and if (like me) you're trying to get someone with artistic talent interested in art history I'd recommend getting this book for them.

I'm buying two copies. One for me and one for my artistically talented sister. Thank you Dr. Lambertson for introducing me to this book.

I am currently taking an introductory art history class, and Gombrich's THE STORY OF ART is the textbook. This book was an absolute pleasure to read, as I found myself going beyond the assigned readings. I finished the entire book from beginning to end within the span of two weeks!
Even if you aren't very interested in art history, THE STORY OF ART remains a must read; at worst, you will be entertained, and at best you will gain an entirely new perspective on art. The prose is masterfully written and the analysis he presents is very accessible. He discusses everything from ancient Greek sculpture to Renaissance painting to modern architecture. The reproductions of the artwork in the book are also extremely good (there are several high-quality fold-out pages included, such as one of Leonardo's Last Supper pre-restoration). I was very pleased with both the amount and breadth of coverage he provided.
Even though I haven't read any other introductory art history books, I find it hard to believe that any other book could do the job as well as Gombrich has done it here. I would highly recommend THE STORY OF ART to anyone who wants an art history primer.

I purchased this book as an introduction to art history before taking a more comprehensive course and I have not been disappointed. With clear simple prose the author delivers his story of art, and the pictures accompanying the text are sharply reproduced. My only caveat is that the book would be more accurately titled "A Story of Western Visual Art" and I note that the author writes from a distinctively Western viewpoint.

I must say that this is the best comprehensive art historical book that I have ever come across. It's actually a book that I have been reading more for pleasure than for study, and I recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in painting, architecture or any artistic elements. The photos are fantastically sharp and accurately placed near if not next to the corresponding text and in no way is it difficult to read or understand. The author writes as if he were explaining it to the reader for the first time, but it does not feel elementary in any way. An excellent book with fantastic promise. I have learned much with very little effort - the best way to study!!

The Story of Art is a classic introduction to the history of fine art. The sweeping scope is matched only by the driven narrative that will fascinate the neophyte and the well versed. This book is THE introductory text for any study of art.

As his title indicates, in The Story of Art Gombrich presents the whole of western art history as a chronological narrative -- from prehistoric times on up to his own times -- clearly setting out everything from ancient sculpture to Renaissance painting to modern architecture.This book can change the way you look art.Intellectually and physically pure delight.

This is a beautiful book with comprehensive text. It is written in common English that anyone should understand. I already have a copy I received as a gift and bought this copy for my grandaughter who will enter college this year to study Art History.