Abaris Books
Abaris Books is a scholarly publishing house based in Norwalk, Connecticut, which produces authoritative art reference books. Abaris is renowned for its definitive collections of titles in art history and other subjects, and for its cataloguing of renowned artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Marcantonio Raimondi, Jean Duvet, Wenceslaus Hollar, Antonio Tempesta, The Carraccis, and Caravaggio. The pictorial encyclopaedia, "The Illustrated Bartsch", is pre-eminent in their collection. Founded by Walter L. Strauss, Abaris is named for Abaris the Hyperborean. According to legend, Strauss named his company to appear in alphabetical listings before the other two  leading art reference publishing companies, Abbeville Press and Abrams Books. History. Abaris Books was founded in 1970 in New York by Walter L. Strauss. Abaris publishes a multitude of titles which contribute to the vast fields of art history and art reference. Strauss edited and published many notable titles, however his largest and most significant project was to begin illustrating Count Adam von Bartsch's famous 24 volume list, le peintre-graveur, as The Illustrated Bartsch. This massive project was left unfinished upon Strauss' death, and Abaris Books became an imprint of OPAL Publishing Corporation. OPAL has furthered the progress  of Abaris and "The Illustrated Bartsch". OPAL chose to focus on "The Illustrated Bartsch" as the premier title of Abaris Books, however Abaris receives worldwide recognition for their publications of the catalogues raisonnés of Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt. Abaris currently publishes 13 volumes concentrating on catalogues raisonnés of Albrecht Dürer, including two volumes of "The Illustrated Bartsh", one a picture atlas, and the other a commentary. Abaris also publishes considerable titles such as "The Complete Drawings of Albrecht Dürer", "Drawings of the Rembrandt School", and "The Royal Horse and Rider: Painting, Sculpture, and Horsemanship 1500-1800", winner of the 1989  C.I.N.O.A. Prize. A warehouse fire in 2005 destroyed the entire Abaris Books inventory, over 35,000 volumes. This included the entire collection of "The Illustrated Bartsch". Since then, the small staff of Abaris Books has reprinted the entire collection of 104 volumes, and currently works toward producing future volumes, as organized under the General Plan. Other titles are planned for restocking and all titles remain in print. Titles. Other titles include Colin Eisler's "The Master of the Unicorn: The Life and Work of Jean Duvet", Udo Kultermann's "The History of Art History", the definitive English translation by Winslow Ames  of Joseph Meder's classic, "The Mastery of Drawing", François Bucher's "Architector: The Lodge Books and Sketchbooks of Medieval Architects", Vladimír Denkstein's "Hollar Drawings", and Walter Strauss' own "Chiaroscuro: The Clair-Obscure Woodcuts by the German and Netherlandish Masters of the XVIth and XVIIth Centuries". The Illustrated Bartsch. Often shortened to “TIB” as a reference, or simply called the "Bartsch", "The Illustrated Bartsch" is Abaris Books' most notable and renowned title. First aimed to illustrate Adam von Bartsch's list of European master printmakers, present scholarship has proven omissions and incorrect attributions in Bartsch's list. The first  48 volumes of "The Illustrated Bartsch" cohere directly to the artists found on Bartsch's list; however there are presently over 100 volumes in print, many of them Commentary and Supplementary editions. These additional volumes define the scholarship of European master prints and reflect the world of art scholasticism. ARTstor. In 2003, Abaris Books granted a non-exclusive license to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York to convert portions of their photographic archive into electronic format. The licensed illustrations can be viewed on the website of the not-for-profit educational organization, ARTstor. Co-publication. Abaris has co -published titles with several major institutions, including: