Reading Art: Art for Book Lovers

This compact yet important work delves into the image of the book in close to 300 works of art, comparing and contrasting their roles in different times but similar circumstances. Critic and art writer Trigg has chosen images exemplifying various themes: the literary lesson; the book as a sign of power and wealth; the image of piety and the holy books; women as readers; even the monograph as a building block in fantasy architecture and sculpture. Many of the works provide some commentary with the images, which serves to provide substance to both the work's theme and historical aspects. Quotations from a variety of authors, from John Wesley to Marshall McLuhan, each with a different view of the role of books, combine with beautifully reproduced images that are pleasing to the eye. The very small typeface was perhaps meant to be in keeping with the publisher's entire minimal ideal, but it's a bit hard on the eyes of the average reader.