The Visual Arts: A History, Revised Edition (7th Edition)
Originally published in 2009, this most recent edition of Honour and Fleming’s classic art-history text is now being marketed to a general audience at a more affordable price. With a chronology that stretches from prehistory to the present day in nearly 1,000 pages and 1,500 color and black-and-white images images, this book aims to be comprehensive, as befitting its stated goal of being “exploratory rather than critical.” Photography, architecture, and digital and installation art are discussed, along with traditional media, such as painting and sculpture. Unlike many art-history books, the focus here goes beyond Western art, and topics such as colonialism and indigenous art are addressed within the chronological organization rather than in separate sections or volumes.  Also notable is the attention devoted to contemporary art. The final chapter, “Into the Third Millennium,” focuses on art from the 1980s to the early 2010s. Contributed by contemporary art historian Michael Archer, the chapter addresses recent developments from a global perspective, including sections on “Postmodern Multiculturalism” and “Globalization, Sensation, and Spectacle.”   Each chapter begins with a time line that juxtaposes historical landmarks with events in the visual arts. “In Context,” “Urban Development,” and “Sources and Documents” boxes provide historical, religious, and cultural context and excerpts from relevant primary source documents. The book also includes a glossary, lists of further reading for each chapter, and an index.   Classic art-history surveys are regularly updated but often at a significantly higher cost. At just $75, this book represents an affordable and comprehensive addition to academic, school, and public library collections. --Lindsay Harmon--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.