I'm going for 3 months to europe and want to take an art book with me that will help me make sense of what i'm seeing. Should i buy the new art 101 book or the mona winks one which the newest copy that I can see is from 2001.
my concern with mona winks is that its older so i'm not sure if the tours will be accurate.
can someone help me discern between the differences between the two. thanks.
Anna, art books are really, really heavy. I know. I market them. The reason that they are heavy is that they are printed on really good paper because we're striving to match the reproduction to the actual image. So, I've interesting suggestion. If you are taking a computer, think about purchasing an eBook. I couldn't have suggested this last year as it's only been in the last year that we've resolved the permissions issues that allow publishers to create eBooks for art books. Go to www.coursesmart.com and look at Art Appreciation books. The best, is my (of course!) by Mark Getlein, Living with Art. Art appreciation books combine chapters on what is art, a look at the different media with a brief history. Actually you can buy a view only mode so you wouldn't even have to carry that computer. (No, they don't work on the Kindle yet. We're working on that. Kindle is working on the ability to include illustrations.)
Pam
Anna,
The Europe 101 book is a basic intro to European art. It deals with art history and an explanation of the different styles/ages of art. Mona Winks is a book of self-guided tours of various European museums that may be somewhat out-of-date by now. I believe all of the tours in Mona Winks are included in the various RS Country & City guides. If you need to brush up on your art history & appreciation get Europe 101, otherwise go with The Best of Europe or the applicable country or city guide.
Europe 101 is a great book to read before you go. It's a great intro to European art or a refresher if you've had it before, but have a bad memory or gaps in your knowledge. It's really heavy, even though it's a paperback. Pamela is right -- you don't want to take it with you.
Do not be either of them. Check them both out from your local library for free. Sorry, Rick.
