In his survey, Craven has included the works of African-Americans and women who have contributed much to American art, he said, including such artists as Jacob Lawrence who created the Harriet Tubman series, and modern sculptor Louise Nevelson. Another goal was to underscore the excellence of the University in the field of art history and the outstanding resources we have in this area. The frontispiece is a 1826 self-portrait of artist Charles Willson Peale, holding back a drapery at the entrance of his museum in Philadelphia, seemingly inviting the viewer to see the treasures within, much as Craven is inviting students and others into the world of American art in his book. The book is chronologically arranged, with an introductory background of each period and with each category of art represented. Paintings range from pictures of the new continent by European artists to pop art and works by Georgia O'Keeffe.
Architecture is represented from early Spanish mission churches to New York skyscrapers.
An early photograph marks the linking of the railroad across the continent. In a later period, haunting photographs by Jacob Riis of the tenements of New York City, which awoke the social conscience of the time, are shown. Modern photography includes a shadowy study of the torso of a woman by Robert Mapplethorpe. Decorative arts include early utensils from Colonial times to the simple, spare design of Charles Eames chairs in the Museum of Modern Art. A hardback version of the book is also being printed by well-known art publishers Abrams Inc. and features a painting by Mary Cassatt on its front cover with a photograph of Monticello on the back.