Vintage Art History Book: Key Monuments, H.W. Janson, 1964
Vintage Art History Book: Key Monuments, H.W. Janson, 1964
$18.00
What a fascinating peek into a visual survey of works of art. The Preface of the book indicates that "historical significance, rather than aesthetic appeal to modern sensibility, has been the determining factor in the choice of works of art - and the photographs - here reproduced."
It is really hard to show the variety and depth of the book with just a few pictures and that is the best part of this book. The book is presented in five parts; The Ancient World, Asia and America, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance and The Modern World. Each part has distinct sections within and starts with a list of all illustrations included in that part. The illustrations/photographs are all in black and white and have detailed references beneath each. There is little other written details in the book, it is a Visual Library.
This book was edited by H.W. Janson, Professor of Fine Arts, New York University with Dora Jane Janson. It was published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York Copyright 1959. This is the Fifth Printing from 1964. The binding also indicates it to be the Text Edition. 1,068 Pages.
The red fabric cover, with a gold embossed lettering, is lightly worn with only slightly bumped corners. The binding is still intact and no pages are falling our. There is no stray writing on any of the pages other than the owners name on the first page, nor are there any rips or tears to the paper. Very nicely presented. The faded color of the binding and the top edge of the front cover shows the age of the book. I wonder if it was stored in direct sunlight at some juncture? No musty odor when the book is opened.
Per my research: Horst Waldemar Janson, who published as H. W. Janson, was a Russian-American scholar of art history best known for his History of Art, which was first published in 1962 and has sold more than two million copies in fifteen languages. He was born October 4, 1913, in Saint Petersburg, Russia and died, September 30, 1982. He was educated at Harvard University, University of Hamburg, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Dimensions:
7 1/4" x 10 1/4" x 2 1/4"
It is really hard to show the variety and depth of the book with just a few pictures and that is the best part of this book. The book is presented in five parts; The Ancient World, Asia and America, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance and The Modern World. Each part has distinct sections within and starts with a list of all illustrations included in that part. The illustrations/photographs are all in black and white and have detailed references beneath each. There is little other written details in the book, it is a Visual Library.
This book was edited by H.W. Janson, Professor of Fine Arts, New York University with Dora Jane Janson. It was published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York Copyright 1959. This is the Fifth Printing from 1964. The binding also indicates it to be the Text Edition. 1,068 Pages.
The red fabric cover, with a gold embossed lettering, is lightly worn with only slightly bumped corners. The binding is still intact and no pages are falling our. There is no stray writing on any of the pages other than the owners name on the first page, nor are there any rips or tears to the paper. Very nicely presented. The faded color of the binding and the top edge of the front cover shows the age of the book. I wonder if it was stored in direct sunlight at some juncture? No musty odor when the book is opened.
Per my research: Horst Waldemar Janson, who published as H. W. Janson, was a Russian-American scholar of art history best known for his History of Art, which was first published in 1962 and has sold more than two million copies in fifteen languages. He was born October 4, 1913, in Saint Petersburg, Russia and died, September 30, 1982. He was educated at Harvard University, University of Hamburg, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Dimensions:
7 1/4" x 10 1/4" x 2 1/4"