Book Review: "30,000 years of art"

30,000 Years of Art
Phaidon Press, 2007

My son picked up 30,000 Years of Art at our library because of his fascination with "big books." This 12" x 12" book with over 1000 pages certainly fits that description. Simply lifting this book counts as exercise. While that may be what attracted his seven year old self, I was excited about the topic. As an art lover, I was interested in this book's unique take on the subject. It presents art works from all over the world in chronological order, one per page. It allows one to easily compare what was going on in the development of art the world over at any given time. The major art works that one would expect are all included, but there are also interesting surprises. Relatively few people would be familiar with all the art works in this book. The descriptions of the art works are intelligent and informative. This book would be a wonderful foundation for a class, but it is just as easily suited to casual browsing curled up in a comfy chair. It is truly a museum in a book with stunning illustrations and quality content.