4 comments about The Pocket Louvre: A Visitor's Guide to 500 Works.

1. The Pocket Louvre is a professionally rendered small-format paperback with two goals: first, to present a set of full-color reproductions of many of the Louvre's most famous works, and second, to assist the viewer in organizing trips to the Louvre in order to see these works in person. The book does a good job of meeting both goals. Whether you are planning on visiting the Louvre or just want a chance to see reprints of some of the more famous works held therein, you'll likely find what you need here.
   
   The Louvre is a mega-museum so immense in size that it makes some of the world's other museums look like booths at an indoor mall. The building complex is so vast, and the museum's holdings so extensive, that it would easily require multiple return visits over some period of time to even begin to see any significant amount of it in any detail. The buildings themselves which house the Louvre have been added to and reworked over some 500 years, and so any visitor to the gallery (there were over eight million of them in 2006 alone) will be met with sprawling galleries, staircases large enough to hold small homes, interconnecting passages, an underground complex, central eating and shopping areas, and more. It can make the unprepared feel faint of heart and can be overwhelming even if one has visited more than once in the past. The Pocket Louvre helps the visitor navigate through this vast setting by breaking the complex into manageable sections by art genre, and then provides written descriptions of the path to take to see the principal works for each. In addition, the book gives us alternatives: do we want a short, or a long, trip? For each, we are provided directions, suggestions, and even some small-scale maps to help us both plan and execute our trip.
   
   The photos in The Pocket Louvre are first-rate. Images are crisp, clear, with good color reproduction, and because the entire text is on semi-gloss paper, possess excellent overall quality. Because the book itself is small enough to be carried to the Louvre itself, it also means, however, that the photos are small, as well. You'll be able to get a very nice review of the art in the Louvre by reviewing the text, but don't think you are getting a coffee table-sized art book. Nevertheless, the photos are reproduced well enough to enjoy using the book as a virtual tour through the museum, and the descriptions of each, though minimal, are informative enough to help us understand what we are looking at.
   
   A true bargain at its price, and a useful aid for a Louvre visit, the book should be in the library of every art lover, art historian, or past or future Louvre visitor.



2. A trip to Paris would be incomplete without a visit to the world's largest museum and probably the most fascinating in the world, the Louvre.

   The difficulty in visiting the Louvre is that it is overwhelming, as it galleries display over eight centuries of the world's greatest masterpieces.
   "The Grand Louvre" is spread over four levels and comprises 30,000 works of art that occupies approximately 1.6 million square feet.s
   Furthermore, 645, 000 square feet are dedicated to distinct exhibitions.
   Put it very simply, "ouch my aching feet!"
   In other words, you can't possibly appreciate these great works of art without a well planned out itinerary.
   Here is where a comprehensive guidebook entitled The Pocket Louvre authored by a professor of art history at the Université de Tours, Claude Mignot, can prove to be a godsend.

   What immediately caught my eye when I thumbed through the guidebook was its practical organization.
   Each page contains beautiful illustrations that serve both as a record of works seen and as a capsule of Western art.
   However, what is extremely useful is that on the side of each page the author in small print denotes the exact school of the work of art.
   Not only are we presented with this information but also Mignot pinpoints the floor and room it is located.
   Let us suppose we are interested in viewing the Mona Lisa and we do not want to waste time in trying to locate the painting.
   All we have to do is look in the index, find reference to the Mona Lisa "et voilà" we are referred to the appropriate page. We are now told that the Mona Lisa is located in room 6 (Salle des Etats), on the first floor. Furthermore, the author also gives us some useful tidbits concerning this well-known work of art.
   With this in mind we can repeat this method when we wish to plan our own trip to the Louvre.

   On the other hand we can also pursue the various array of tours suggested by the author.
   These tours are broken down into various time frames: the three-hour tour, the one-day classic tour and the four half-day comprehensive tours.
   When you read the author's comments pertaining to each one of the tours, you actually feel his presence.

   Other useful features of the book are it's over 500 rich photo illustrations and the numerous gallery floor plans.
   The table of contents is quite comprehensive and allows the reader to quickly identify the type of tour he or she may wish to embark upon.
   There are also various useful tips such as avoiding lines, where to eat, getting to the museum, where to relax and the various services offered in the Louvre.
   We are also provided with a capsule history of the Louvre.

   Mignot definitely has written a comprehensive guide that is aware of the elements of time and physical endurance that every visitor to the Louvre encounters.
   Merci Prof. Mignot!

   This review first appeared on the reviewer's own site:
   www.bookpleasures.com




3. We brought this guide with us on our last visit to Paris. We hadn't been to the Louvre before, its size had overwhelmed us. Armed with this guide, we were able to focus on what we wanted to see, and had a wonderful souvenir when we got home. The pictures are tremendous and the section on the history of the Louvre was very interesting. The descriptions of the art itself were, however, frustratingly brief. Also, even though at over 500 pages, the guide is hardly "pocket", it didn't include several paintings we wished it had.



4. This book captured the essence of the Louvre. It is the perfect resource for those too time-poor to make the trek to Paris. You will want to read it while you have your morning espresso in a sidewalk cafe.

5 comments about Fine Art Publicity, 2nd Edition: The Complete Guide for Artists, Galleries, and Museums (Business and Legal Forms).

1. Fine Art Publicity has some very good ideas about marketing and publicity. We just opened an art gallery, and have already had a few articles published in local newspapers thanks to the suggestions in this book.



2. I am writing a business plan to open an art gallery.
   Even though I already know how to market service businesses,
   I need to learn a lot about marketing an art gallery. I
   found a trove of very good advice in this book. I appreciate
   the easy layout and readability also. I expect anyone
   with an art business can find ideas here.



3. The majority of art career guides come from either career counselors or artists themselves, so it's refreshing to note that Fine Art Publicity: The Complete Guide For Galleries And Artists, appearing in its second updated edition, is written by an industry publicist backed by the knowledge of her profession. Galleries and artists receive the basics of marketing to the art community; from researching a media list for both local and national contacts to locating businesses connected to the arts, and gathering a library of samples for targeted publicity contacts. Simply an outstanding reference; a 'must' for aspiring artists and gallery owners alike.



4. I dont usually write reviews, but I completely disagree with the bad review on here. This is an incredibly useful book for art galleries. I can't express how helpful this book has been to me. This is a guide for galleries not artists, so maybe that's why the last reader had issues.



5. I buy alot of books but I have never before seen a book written for an adult audience spread so thinly over so many pages. I suppose this was done to try to create the illusion of there being more information here than there really is. What little useful information this book contians seems to be repeated over and over. I would guess again to fill pages. I feel there is virtually no practical information here for an artist and very little for a gallery. I usually don't have an interest in writing book reviews but I was so disappointed in this book that I wanted to alert others to search elsewhere for useful information.

5 comments about Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House.

1. I enjoyed this book, and the details of his life relating to the building of this wonderful American treasure. I wish there had been more photos showing the details of the fine art and antiques collected from Europe early in this past century. Also it would have been worthwhile to show much more and better photos of the architectural elements of stone moulding, stucco detail, doors, tiles, ceilings, floor designs and iron work.



2. I actually bought this for a gift for my neighbor,she had been looking for it for a while and she was very excited and said the pictures inside were fantastic.



3. Hearst castle is just an amazing tribute to one man's enormous ego. I am glad that it is preserved as a set piece for Hearst, for that is what he intended all along. This book captures the signifigance of the estate, the images are well concieved, though not as crisp as expected, and the text is informative. This certainly is not the definitive book on Hearst Castle, but it is well worth the purchace none the less. If you have any interest in Hearst Castle, or gilded age extravagance in general, then i cant imagine you being disappointed in this book.



4. Fantastic book exceptional pictures and loaded with written details. Usually in a book like this you get one or the other here you get both! A must read and viewed book,a bit spendy but worth every cent!



5. A first rate account of the building of "La Cuesta Encantada" with new information I have not found in other Hearst Castle books or by taking the castle tours many, many times since I was a little girl. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to visit the castle again with this new knowledge.

5 comments about Amano: The Complete Prints of Yoshitaka Amano.

1. The book is well put together and has great image quality, but unless your a big Amano fan than this book is probably not for you. Honestly I wish I could truly give this book 5 stars because I love his ink designs but some of his fairy concepts is not my cup of tea. As for range this book delivers like few art books do and you truly get a feel for his style and what he's about.
   If you got the change to spend and love art books than this will make a great addition to your collection. Otherwise I would go to a store and flip through it a bit to see if it is for you.



2. I've seen his work on the Arts channel and am impressed, but when I looked at this book I was disappointed. I hadn't realized he did violent, prurient comic books for adults, and much of this book is devoted to those examples. However, his line and color and the flowing mystic quality are what attract me, but I am turned away by his subject matter.



3. This is an amazing item! The art work is simply stunning. Since words are inadequate to describe this book, you must buy it immediately!



4. The book is wonderful but keep in mind half of the book is a catalog of his work (for other words ton of pictures that are inch and a half by an inch).



5. This book is a perfect artbook, an wonderful edition, with an excellent paper, and high quality images. Some pages can unfold and form large and amazing images.
   This book has a complete collection of the drawings and paintings more remarkable of the author,and reflects the influence of the traditional Japan and the modern occidental arts.
   It is an artbook that you cannot let have if you really admire Amano's works.

2 comments about Andre Kertesz.

1. I have seen recently some of the master images made by Andre Kertesz at the Paul Getty Museum. The quality and presentation of the images in this book are as close as you can view the original prints. The text in the book effectively illuminates and enhance each image. I strongly recommend this book.



2. This is a superb collection and a true tribute to this incredible photographer.

No comments about Cutting-Edge Patterns and Textures (Book & CD Rom).

5 comments about Holy Image, Hallowed Ground (Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum).

1. This is a good book no doubt, but...In this holy monastery there is much more valuable holy icons and should be presented in much more numbers.Maybe I`m asking to much, but with this treasure unpublished at all, it`s kinda sad to said. Quality of paper and photos are great and text with it. Good choice for meeting with this holy spot on the earth.



2. The reproductions in this book are beautiful, the discussion intelligent and thorough. I bought and read it prior to visiting the exhibit, and thought that it provided 95% of the experience of actually being there.
   
   The Getty, which has had an uneven history in its prior exhibits, really did a superb job on this one. The Getty website retains an excellent interactive description of the exhibition.
   
   I had the impression that St. Catherine's was an isolated outpost at the base of Mt. Sinai. It is at the base of Mt. Sinai, but about an hour's drive from Sharm-El-Sheikh, a popular Egyptian resort town. Apparently tour buses make daily runs between the two places.



3. Great book full of pictures and explanatory text. The purchase was prompted by a visit to the Getty Museum to view the exhibit. I was familiar with the monastary beforehand from a VHS tape and the exhibit provided a sense of being there and walking its holy and hallowed grounds. A time capsule of religious art and activity. The detail was very intricate and I marveled at the detail in the icons for those using crude and self-made art supplies. These icons are indeed a labor of love. They go back some 1400 years and have a span of 600.
   
   The book serves to recollect my feelings at the exhibit, the next best thing to being at the monastary itself.



4. This volume is the companion to the recent Getty exhibition of original icons from the St. Catherine Monastery in the Sinai Desert, the presumed site of the Old Testament burning bush. The book provides the scholarly background on the ancient images, some going back to the 6th century and showing stylistic features common to Roman portraiture. The color illustrations are especially well done and true to the tones of the originals that I saw in Los Angeles. The book can be enjoyed simply for the aesthetics for the mesmerizing pictures, or for religious meditation, but also for insight into the historical development of early Christian practices. Given the lavish color printing in a large format, the price is quite reasonable.



5. Wonderful book on good heavy paper. . . .photo quality excellent. . .very very informative. . .

3 comments about Understanding International Art Markets and Management.

1. Excellent essays on practical issues -- a fresh, valuable read for museum and top gallery professionals, as well as serious collectors and students.



2. This book is a gem. Even for the people who don't know much about the art market, it's still a book worthwhile reading. The writing is very polished, yet easy to follow; the information is in depth. There are a lot of books on Art History; but this is the book on Art Market History with the most comprehensive analysis of economic, political and social impacts on art, artists and art market. The humor and sarcasm in the book make the reading fun. If you enjoy philosophy, politics and history or art critics, this is a great book to have.



3. Iain Robertson et al. is presenting this very sound introduction to the non-expert of the arts international market. It is a collection of articles from different authors; therefore expect a non-linear writing style, which is however easy to understand. It is written from the point of view of the curator, or of someone who stands outside the market as an observer. What one could find as missing, are other perspectives such as the artist themselves. Nevertheless, this book discusses a very wide range of the arts market and even includes chapters such as art crime. The reader can thus easily gain a very good (though theoretical) insight of how the arts market works and of who are the actors in the market.
   
   Five stars are awarded for this book, as I would recommend this book to all those who have an interest in learning how the arts market works and as this book delivers.

No comments about Maria Sibylla Merian and Daughters: Women of Art and Science.

1 comments about Thomas Hope: Regency Designer.

1. This is a truly excellent addition to the rather small literature on Thomas Hope. Every facet of his career and talents from Interior design,collecting and travel, furniture design, drawing and writing is discussed, as is his -and his family's - history. The catalogue section presents the history and significance of items designed and owned by him and his family. A worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in interior design, collecting or simply the lives of extraordinary individuals.