 2008-12-20 - Living with great art
My wife and I are both enjoying this book daily. We've decided to open the book to a new pair of pages each day. Yes, it's a huge book - but it takes many pages to cover 30,000 years! Presently the book resides, open, on the end of our partners desk. But to read the entries requires bending; so I'm underway in the building of a lectern so we can read it while standing erect. As we both went to art school, we have some of our own work on the walls; but having masterworks in the home to speak to us daily is truly inspiring.
I refute the observation that the binding is less than adequate. (I've published two books myself.) This binding is sturdy, being sewn into signatures and properly glued, including headbands. Crackling sounds are characteristic of any large new book.
 2008-10-19 - The Monster of All Cocktail Table Art Books
The Amazon editorial review of this impressive book is excellent.
This monstosity is the definitive 'reference' of art through the millennia. Represented here are works in all mediums as well as a comprehensive sculpture timeline. It is a wonderful art book to page through at any level of ones art knowledge. The descriptions accompaying each artist's work are short (2-3 paragraphs) but thoughtfully written and enlightening. Albight its abbreviated text it does do each artist justice. And en total is an impressive book.
Kudos to PHAIDON for taking on such a challenge.
2008-10-07 - Great book
I am really enjoying this book - but it's all but impossisble to read in bed! Truly a delight and very educational.
 2008-07-27 - Bigger is not always better
Possibly useful for children with no knowledge of art, the book is cumbersome in size and slightly loathsome in outlook. '30,000 Years of Art' lumps all creative output from both past and distant cultures into one whopping big format. That being one big picture beside one simple page of text. It renders equivalent Australian aboriginal art and French nineteenth century eroticism, an idea that I find thoroughly absurd. There are many better books around that introduce world art without ruining the distinctive character of entirely different enterprises. The best introduction to art is William Fleming's 'Arts and Ideas', the pictures are not quite as big but what it lacks in size it makes up for in depth. It covers roughly the same period and includes a brief discussion of music and architecture as well. This book reminds me of those giant roadside attractions (the big pineapple etc) that some cities cling to to create tourist interest. Like this book they represent nothing more than empty imaginations.
2008-06-18 - 30,000 Years of Art
This is a full color work on ancient artwork,
as well as modern art. The renditions date back
to 50,000 BC. Sample pieces are as follows:
o France- Dappled Horses of Pech at 25,000 BC
o Australia- Sash at 17,000 BC - rock pigments
o Spain- Altamira Bison limestone at 15,000 BC
o South Africa- Cold Stream Burial Stone
o Iraq- Samarra Plate at 5,000 BC
o Peru- Paracas Embroidered Mantle 50 BC
o Italy- Cubiculum Fresco at 19 BC - a colorful dress
o China- Watchtower at 100 AD
o Italy- Opus Sectile Panel of Christ (marble)
A beauty of this work is that readers can observe
Christian themes which coincide at or near the time
of Jesus Christ. In addition, a clear sense of the
people and fashions of the times is evident throughout.
The acquisition is worth the price of admission.
This book will have a wide constituency of readers
from business, academe and the arts.
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