A work of art in itself., 19 Oct 2008
This book is brilliantly written and full of insights into the many cogs of the art world machine and who lubricates them. Judging by her qualifications, Sarah Tornton was designed to write this book. I look forward to looking at her next project. My only minor criticism of this book is that the pace of the writing slows a bit towards the very end.

Really readable guide to the contemporary artworld, 11 Oct 2008
Thoroughly readable and entertaining. Without overtly editorialising, the author provides a fascinating insight into different relationships at work in the art world. The shifts in power between artists, dealers, collectors and auction houses are fascinating to unravel as we are guided through the maze of events with clarity and a great sense of humour. I would recommend this as a must read for students of art - of any age.

A work of art in itself., 19 Oct 2008
This book is brilliantly written and full of insights into the many cogs of the art world machine and who lubricates them. Judging by her qualifications, Sarah Tornton was designed to write this book. I look forward to looking at her next project. My only minor criticism of this book is that the pace of the writing slows a bit towards the very end.

Really readable guide to the contemporary artworld, 11 Oct 2008
Thoroughly readable and entertaining. Without overtly editorialising, the author provides a fascinating insight into different relationships at work in the art world. The shifts in power between artists, dealers, collectors and auction houses are fascinating to unravel as we are guided through the maze of events with clarity and a great sense of humour. I would recommend this as a must read for students of art - of any age.

Worth its Weight in Gold!, 31 Mar 2008
This book is filled to the brim with 371, yes 371 individual sources/texts each with an introduction to contextualise each one. Using it for an essay or dissertation will provide you with quotes that you would not be able to find in other books as well as giving you some of the more obvious source which are great too. It is a big book at 1250 pages which was intimating at first when it dropped through the door but really quickly I discovered that its as good as having a whole library in one book which is just about portable.

This is a great book and when you start using it you will realise what a bargain it is too. Worth its weight in gold

BUY IT NOW!, 16 Apr 2006
I reluctantly bought this book believing it would join others on my bookshelf, however it has become my primary source of reference before starting any art essay. How did I manage before? For anyone with an interest in Fine Art this is a must have! I've noticed that it is difficult to obtain this book now -Phew! got my copy just in time. Seek it out and but it now!! This is one you really need!

You need this book., 13 Oct 2005
Absolutely no question.
If you are studying art or intend to then buy this book.
Now.
Don't hesitate.
It has just about all you need.

Essential primer & intro to world of theory..., 25 Jun 2003
Sadly I've only come across this wonderful book (and its earlier companions) recently- a vast collection of key essays and theories relating to culture in the 20th Century. It certainly beats the **** out of a book like Beginning Theory, which is half the price but much, much shorter. A key book that should be owned by all undergraduates starting Uni operating in the wide remit of humanities. The essays/excerpts are short, easy to read & broken down into eight major sections and subsequent sub-sections. Seriously, this book is packed with the kind of thinking and quotations that should litter any university-standard essay- & also gives you a sample of certain writers- which could then be pursued from this wonderful starting point.

The book has sections on: Classicism & Originality; Expression & the Primitive; Modernity; Cubism; Neo-Classicism & the Call to Order; Dissent & Disorder; Abstraction & Form; Utility & Construction; The Modern as Ideal; Realism as Figuration; Realism as Critique; Modernism as Critique; The American Avant-Garde; Individualism in Europe; Art&Society; Art&Modern Life; Modernist Art; Objecthood&Reductivism; Attitudes to Form; Critical Revisions; The Critique of Originality; Figures of Difference;& The Condition of History. Seriously you could easily read the lot in the first year at uni, setting you up greatly for the harder years that follow...Plenty of key cultural thinkers appear here, a brief survey of the contents pages offers Freud, Rilke, Kandinsky, Croce, Lenin, Wyndham Lewis, Braque, Picasso, Spengler, Duchamp, Man Ray, Tatlin, Klee, Jung, Alfred Rosenberg, John Reed, Trotsky, Breton, Bataille, Brecht, Adorno, Pollock, Sartre, Artaud, Lacan, Camus, Bacon, Schlesinger Jr, Lukacs, Barthes, Raymond Williams,Cage, Warhol, Robbe-Grillet, Derrida, Foucault, Mulvey, Jameson, Said, Baudrillard, Kristeva, Wollen, & just about every major theorist of the 20th Century.

This book is excellent value and the ideal primer for anyone studying any subject relating to theory (pretty much most); only quibble would be the relatively fragile cover, which would require a plastic cover or be easily ruined with the amount of reference to this book that would no doubt occur. OWN!

A work of art in itself., 19 Oct 2008
This book is brilliantly written and full of insights into the many cogs of the art world machine and who lubricates them. Judging by her qualifications, Sarah Tornton was designed to write this book. I look forward to looking at her next project. My only minor criticism of this book is that the pace of the writing slows a bit towards the very end.

Really readable guide to the contemporary artworld, 11 Oct 2008
Thoroughly readable and entertaining. Without overtly editorialising, the author provides a fascinating insight into different relationships at work in the art world. The shifts in power between artists, dealers, collectors and auction houses are fascinating to unravel as we are guided through the maze of events with clarity and a great sense of humour. I would recommend this as a must read for students of art - of any age.

Worth its Weight in Gold!, 31 Mar 2008
This book is filled to the brim with 371, yes 371 individual sources/texts each with an introduction to contextualise each one. Using it for an essay or dissertation will provide you with quotes that you would not be able to find in other books as well as giving you some of the more obvious source which are great too. It is a big book at 1250 pages which was intimating at first when it dropped through the door but really quickly I discovered that its as good as having a whole library in one book which is just about portable.

This is a great book and when you start using it you will realise what a bargain it is too. Worth its weight in gold

BUY IT NOW!, 16 Apr 2006
I reluctantly bought this book believing it would join others on my bookshelf, however it has become my primary source of reference before starting any art essay. How did I manage before? For anyone with an interest in Fine Art this is a must have! I've noticed that it is difficult to obtain this book now -Phew! got my copy just in time. Seek it out and but it now!! This is one you really need!

You need this book., 13 Oct 2005
Absolutely no question.
If you are studying art or intend to then buy this book.
Now.
Don't hesitate.
It has just about all you need.

Essential primer & intro to world of theory..., 25 Jun 2003
Sadly I've only come across this wonderful book (and its earlier companions) recently- a vast collection of key essays and theories relating to culture in the 20th Century. It certainly beats the **** out of a book like Beginning Theory, which is half the price but much, much shorter. A key book that should be owned by all undergraduates starting Uni operating in the wide remit of humanities. The essays/excerpts are short, easy to read & broken down into eight major sections and subsequent sub-sections. Seriously, this book is packed with the kind of thinking and quotations that should litter any university-standard essay- & also gives you a sample of certain writers- which could then be pursued from this wonderful starting point.

The book has sections on: Classicism & Originality; Expression & the Primitive; Modernity; Cubism; Neo-Classicism & the Call to Order; Dissent & Disorder; Abstraction & Form; Utility & Construction; The Modern as Ideal; Realism as Figuration; Realism as Critique; Modernism as Critique; The American Avant-Garde; Individualism in Europe; Art&Society; Art&Modern Life; Modernist Art; Objecthood&Reductivism; Attitudes to Form; Critical Revisions; The Critique of Originality; Figures of Difference;& The Condition of History. Seriously you could easily read the lot in the first year at uni, setting you up greatly for the harder years that follow...Plenty of key cultural thinkers appear here, a brief survey of the contents pages offers Freud, Rilke, Kandinsky, Croce, Lenin, Wyndham Lewis, Braque, Picasso, Spengler, Duchamp, Man Ray, Tatlin, Klee, Jung, Alfred Rosenberg, John Reed, Trotsky, Breton, Bataille, Brecht, Adorno, Pollock, Sartre, Artaud, Lacan, Camus, Bacon, Schlesinger Jr, Lukacs, Barthes, Raymond Williams,Cage, Warhol, Robbe-Grillet, Derrida, Foucault, Mulvey, Jameson, Said, Baudrillard, Kristeva, Wollen, & just about every major theorist of the 20th Century.

This book is excellent value and the ideal primer for anyone studying any subject relating to theory (pretty much most); only quibble would be the relatively fragile cover, which would require a plastic cover or be easily ruined with the amount of reference to this book that would no doubt occur. OWN!

more Graffiti, 27 Sep 2007
as a collector it seems of books on graffiti, this is another one i have added to my collection. full of the same kinds of images you have seen in other books, it does show some new ones and more creative examples. the only thing i don't like is the binding, which has fallen apart already leaving pages hanging on.

I sat down in Waterstones and started to read this book, and I was there for over an hour! This book is brilliant!!!!, 04 Jun 2007
This book is absolutely brilliant. It has loads and loads of different graff artists' works in here and they are all good. I know a lot about graffiti so this isn't coming from a toy. This book proves that graffiti is art whether you like it or not. You will read this book over and over again as it is so good. Every time I go to a book shop I read this book for a bit; maybe some day I'll actually get it. Anyway, this book is great and Cope 2 is wicked.

fantastic, 22 Feb 2006
Not knowing a lot about graffiti, i found this to be an excellent introduction to the many differnt styles that are out there today, since this is one of the most up to date books around. Drawbacks of trying to be so comprehensive are inevitable in that it won't include everyone that you want it to but that doesn't stop this being a real jaw dropper. Some of the pieces in this book are mind boggling, both in style and complexity, whilst others show how different graf can be from one person to the next. It's hard not to have respect for people that can do this kinda stuff with spraycans.

I like it, 15 Aug 2005
despite of all the bad reviews, I have to say I love this book, I am no graffiti expert, actually I know nothing about it. But I am fasicnated with all the great works out there,and I wanna see more and learn something. this book could be my guide, or at least a feast to my eyes. there are 370 pages! this is not an encyclopedia, and I don't care about the works in the 1970's.

Very valid art, 16 Jul 2005
Graffiti is now a recognised art form, reflecting current mores of society more than anything else. This is why some of it's images are so disturbing. It's artists are being villified in the same way as the impressionists were in the 19th. century. Just try and buy a Degas or Monet now!
The global nature of the great art movement which is graffiti is well described and illustrated in this book which is easy to read and is of high quality. Read, study and learn!

A work of art in itself., 19 Oct 2008
This book is brilliantly written and full of insights into the many cogs of the art world machine and who lubricates them. Judging by her qualifications, Sarah Tornton was designed to write this book. I look forward to looking at her next project. My only minor criticism of this book is that the pace of the writing slows a bit towards the very end.

Really readable guide to the contemporary artworld, 11 Oct 2008
Thoroughly readable and entertaining. Without overtly editorialising, the author provides a fascinating insight into different relationships at work in the art world. The shifts in power between artists, dealers, collectors and auction houses are fascinating to unravel as we are guided through the maze of events with clarity and a great sense of humour. I would recommend this as a must read for students of art - of any age.

Worth its Weight in Gold!, 31 Mar 2008
This book is filled to the brim with 371, yes 371 individual sources/texts each with an introduction to contextualise each one. Using it for an essay or dissertation will provide you with quotes that you would not be able to find in other books as well as giving you some of the more obvious source which are great too. It is a big book at 1250 pages which was intimating at first when it dropped through the door but really quickly I discovered that its as good as having a whole library in one book which is just about portable.

This is a great book and when you start using it you will realise what a bargain it is too. Worth its weight in gold

BUY IT NOW!, 16 Apr 2006
I reluctantly bought this book believing it would join others on my bookshelf, however it has become my primary source of reference before starting any art essay. How did I manage before? For anyone with an interest in Fine Art this is a must have! I've noticed that it is difficult to obtain this book now -Phew! got my copy just in time. Seek it out and but it now!! This is one you really need!

You need this book., 13 Oct 2005
Absolutely no question.
If you are studying art or intend to then buy this book.
Now.
Don't hesitate.
It has just about all you need.

Essential primer & intro to world of theory..., 25 Jun 2003
Sadly I've only come across this wonderful book (and its earlier companions) recently- a vast collection of key essays and theories relating to culture in the 20th Century. It certainly beats the **** out of a book like Beginning Theory, which is half the price but much, much shorter. A key book that should be owned by all undergraduates starting Uni operating in the wide remit of humanities. The essays/excerpts are short, easy to read & broken down into eight major sections and subsequent sub-sections. Seriously, this book is packed with the kind of thinking and quotations that should litter any university-standard essay- & also gives you a sample of certain writers- which could then be pursued from this wonderful starting point.

The book has sections on: Classicism & Originality; Expression & the Primitive; Modernity; Cubism; Neo-Classicism & the Call to Order; Dissent & Disorder; Abstraction & Form; Utility & Construction; The Modern as Ideal; Realism as Figuration; Realism as Critique; Modernism as Critique; The American Avant-Garde; Individualism in Europe; Art&Society; Art&Modern Life; Modernist Art; Objecthood&Reductivism; Attitudes to Form; Critical Revisions; The Critique of Originality; Figures of Difference;& The Condition of History. Seriously you could easily read the lot in the first year at uni, setting you up greatly for the harder years that follow...Plenty of key cultural thinkers appear here, a brief survey of the contents pages offers Freud, Rilke, Kandinsky, Croce, Lenin, Wyndham Lewis, Braque, Picasso, Spengler, Duchamp, Man Ray, Tatlin, Klee, Jung, Alfred Rosenberg, John Reed, Trotsky, Breton, Bataille, Brecht, Adorno, Pollock, Sartre, Artaud, Lacan, Camus, Bacon, Schlesinger Jr, Lukacs, Barthes, Raymond Williams,Cage, Warhol, Robbe-Grillet, Derrida, Foucault, Mulvey, Jameson, Said, Baudrillard, Kristeva, Wollen, & just about every major theorist of the 20th Century.

This book is excellent value and the ideal primer for anyone studying any subject relating to theory (pretty much most); only quibble would be the relatively fragile cover, which would require a plastic cover or be easily ruined with the amount of reference to this book that would no doubt occur. OWN!

more Graffiti, 27 Sep 2007
as a collector it seems of books on graffiti, this is another one i have added to my collection. full of the same kinds of images you have seen in other books, it does show some new ones and more creative examples. the only thing i don't like is the binding, which has fallen apart already leaving pages hanging on.

I sat down in Waterstones and started to read this book, and I was there for over an hour! This book is brilliant!!!!, 04 Jun 2007
This book is absolutely brilliant. It has loads and loads of different graff artists' works in here and they are all good. I know a lot about graffiti so this isn't coming from a toy. This book proves that graffiti is art whether you like it or not. You will read this book over and over again as it is so good. Every time I go to a book shop I read this book for a bit; maybe some day I'll actually get it. Anyway, this book is great and Cope 2 is wicked.

fantastic, 22 Feb 2006
Not knowing a lot about graffiti, i found this to be an excellent introduction to the many differnt styles that are out there today, since this is one of the most up to date books around. Drawbacks of trying to be so comprehensive are inevitable in that it won't include everyone that you want it to but that doesn't stop this being a real jaw dropper. Some of the pieces in this book are mind boggling, both in style and complexity, whilst others show how different graf can be from one person to the next. It's hard not to have respect for people that can do this kinda stuff with spraycans.

I like it, 15 Aug 2005
despite of all the bad reviews, I have to say I love this book, I am no graffiti expert, actually I know nothing about it. But I am fasicnated with all the great works out there,and I wanna see more and learn something. this book could be my guide, or at least a feast to my eyes. there are 370 pages! this is not an encyclopedia, and I don't care about the works in the 1970's.

Very valid art, 16 Jul 2005
Graffiti is now a recognised art form, reflecting current mores of society more than anything else. This is why some of it's images are so disturbing. It's artists are being villified in the same way as the impressionists were in the 19th. century. Just try and buy a Degas or Monet now!
The global nature of the great art movement which is graffiti is well described and illustrated in this book which is easy to read and is of high quality. Read, study and learn!

A shark that is not alone swimming in those waters..., 26 Oct 2008
Written by an economist who had access to the most important actors (collectors, dealers, auctioneers, curators, art fair directors...)while doing his research, this book is an in-depth study of the way the market for contemporary art functions, the part played by auction houses, dealers, big collectors, museums, the sometimes incestuous relationships that exist between all of them, how art is priced, how auctions are organized (on and off the scene), how gallery shows are sold (or pre-sold), the importance of art-branding in creating an artist's reputation (the brand being the gallery, the auction house, the artist himself, a museum, or even a collector if he is important enough), and, most importantly, how these art brands are created. One insighful conclusion is that the art market, and the market for contemporary art in particular, is as much brand-driven as any other high-end luxury market. Through case studies (the dealers Larry Gagosian or Jay Joplin, the artists Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin, Jeff Koons, the auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's, the collector Charles Saatchi...)and broader considerations on the overall economics of art, the author manages to write a book which is at the same time well informed (with some spelling approximations, e.g. "Joe Bernardo" for the Portuguese collector Jose Berardo), to the point and easy to read. Of the more than twenty books on the topic available on Amazon's, this one is the best in my opinion (and I've read quite a few...).

A work of art in itself., 19 Oct 2008
This book is brilliantly written and full of insights into the many cogs of the art world machine and who lubricates them. Judging by her qualifications, Sarah Tornton was designed to write this book. I look forward to looking at her next project. My only minor criticism of this book is that the pace of the writing slows a bit towards the very end.

Really readable guide to the contemporary artworld, 11 Oct 2008
Thoroughly readable and entertaining. Without overtly editorialising, the author provides a fascinating insight into different relationships at work in the art world. The shifts in power between artists, dealers, collectors and auction houses are fascinating to unravel as we are guided through the maze of events with clarity and a great sense of humour. I would recommend this as a must read for students of art - of any age.

Worth its Weight in Gold!, 31 Mar 2008
This book is filled to the brim with 371, yes 371 individual sources/texts each with an introduction to contextualise each one. Using it for an essay or dissertation will provide you with quotes that you would not be able to find in other books as well as giving you some of the more obvious source which are great too. It is a big book at 1250 pages which was intimating at first when it dropped through the door but really quickly I discovered that its as good as having a whole library in one book which is just about portable.

This is a great book and when you start using it you will realise what a bargain it is too. Worth its weight in gold

BUY IT NOW!, 16 Apr 2006
I reluctantly bought this book believing it would join others on my bookshelf, however it has become my primary source of reference before starting any art essay. How did I manage before? For anyone with an interest in Fine Art this is a must have! I've noticed that it is difficult to obtain this book now -Phew! got my copy just in time. Seek it out and but it now!! This is one you really need!

You need this book., 13 Oct 2005
Absolutely no question.
If you are studying art or intend to then buy this book.
Now.
Don't hesitate.
It has just about all you need.

Essential primer & intro to world of theory..., 25 Jun 2003
Sadly I've only come across this wonderful book (and its earlier companions) recently- a vast collection of key essays and theories relating to culture in the 20th Century. It certainly beats the **** out of a book like Beginning Theory, which is half the price but much, much shorter. A key book that should be owned by all undergraduates starting Uni operating in the wide remit of humanities. The essays/excerpts are short, easy to read & broken down into eight major sections and subsequent sub-sections. Seriously, this book is packed with the kind of thinking and quotations that should litter any university-standard essay- & also gives you a sample of certain writers- which could then be pursued from this wonderful starting point.

The book has sections on: Classicism & Originality; Expression & the Primitive; Modernity; Cubism; Neo-Classicism & the Call to Order; Dissent & Disorder; Abstraction & Form; Utility & Construction; The Modern as Ideal; Realism as Figuration; Realism as Critique; Modernism as Critique; The American Avant-Garde; Individualism in Europe; Art&Society; Art&Modern Life; Modernist Art; Objecthood&Reductivism; Attitudes to Form; Critical Revisions; The Critique of Originality; Figures of Difference;& The Condition of History. Seriously you could easily read the lot in the first year at uni, setting you up greatly for the harder years that follow...Plenty of key cultural thinkers appear here, a brief survey of the contents pages offers Freud, Rilke, Kandinsky, Croce, Lenin, Wyndham Lewis, Braque, Picasso, Spengler, Duchamp, Man Ray, Tatlin, Klee, Jung, Alfred Rosenberg, John Reed, Trotsky, Breton, Bataille, Brecht, Adorno, Pollock, Sartre, Artaud, Lacan, Camus, Bacon, Schlesinger Jr, Lukacs, Barthes, Raymond Williams,Cage, Warhol, Robbe-Grillet, Derrida, Foucault, Mulvey, Jameson, Said, Baudrillard, Kristeva, Wollen, & just about every major theorist of the 20th Century.

This book is excellent value and the ideal primer for anyone studying any subject relating to theory (pretty much most); only quibble would be the relatively fragile cover, which would require a plastic cover or be easily ruined with the amount of reference to this book that would no doubt occur. OWN!

more Graffiti, 27 Sep 2007
as a collector it seems of books on graffiti, this is another one i have added to my collection. full of the same kinds of images you have seen in other books, it does show some new ones and more creative examples. the only thing i don't like is the binding, which has fallen apart already leaving pages hanging on.

I sat down in Waterstones and started to read this book, and I was there for over an hour! This book is brilliant!!!!, 04 Jun 2007
This book is absolutely brilliant. It has loads and loads of different graff artists' works in here and they are all good. I know a lot about graffiti so this isn't coming from a toy. This book proves that graffiti is art whether you like it or not. You will read this book over and over again as it is so good. Every time I go to a book shop I read this book for a bit; maybe some day I'll actually get it. Anyway, this book is great and Cope 2 is wicked.

fantastic, 22 Feb 2006
Not knowing a lot about graffiti, i found this to be an excellent introduction to the many differnt styles that are out there today, since this is one of the most up to date books around. Drawbacks of trying to be so comprehensive are inevitable in that it won't include everyone that you want it to but that doesn't stop this being a real jaw dropper. Some of the pieces in this book are mind boggling, both in style and complexity, whilst others show how different graf can be from one person to the next. It's hard not to have respect for people that can do this kinda stuff with spraycans.

I like it, 15 Aug 2005
despite of all the bad reviews, I have to say I love this book, I am no graffiti expert, actually I know nothing about it. But I am fasicnated with all the great works out there,and I wanna see more and learn something. this book could be my guide, or at least a feast to my eyes. there are 370 pages! this is not an encyclopedia, and I don't care about the works in the 1970's.

Very valid art, 16 Jul 2005
Graffiti is now a recognised art form, reflecting current mores of society more than anything else. This is why some of it's images are so disturbing. It's artists are being villified in the same way as the impressionists were in the 19th. century. Just try and buy a Degas or Monet now!
The global nature of the great art movement which is graffiti is well described and illustrated in this book which is easy to read and is of high quality. Read, study and learn!

A shark that is not alone swimming in those waters..., 26 Oct 2008
Written by an economist who had access to the most important actors (collectors, dealers, auctioneers, curators, art fair directors...)while doing his research, this book is an in-depth study of the way the market for contemporary art functions, the part played by auction houses, dealers, big collectors, museums, the sometimes incestuous relationships that exist between all of them, how art is priced, how auctions are organized (on and off the scene), how gallery shows are sold (or pre-sold), the importance of art-branding in creating an artist's reputation (the brand being the gallery, the auction house, the artist himself, a museum, or even a collector if he is important enough), and, most importantly, how these art brands are created. One insighful conclusion is that the art market, and the market for contemporary art in particular, is as much brand-driven as any other high-end luxury market. Through case studies (the dealers Larry Gagosian or Jay Joplin, the artists Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin, Jeff Koons, the auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's, the collector Charles Saatchi...)and broader considerations on the overall economics of art, the author manages to write a book which is at the same time well informed (with some spelling approximations, e.g. "Joe Bernardo" for the Portuguese collector Jose Berardo), to the point and easy to read. Of the more than twenty books on the topic available on Amazon's, this one is the best in my opinion (and I've read quite a few...).

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia., 26 May 2005
This is truly one of those life changing books. It is surreal, vulgar, explicit and tender in equal measure. I have an interest in tattooing but my wife does not and she was as taken by the Alice in Wonderland otherness of this book as I was. Everything you have never nor will ever need to know about the Russian criminal underground and it's bizarrely profane tattoo culture.

A work of art in itself., 19 Oct 2008
This book is brilliantly written and full of insights into the many cogs of the art world machine and who lubricates them. Judging by her qualifications, Sarah Tornton was designed to write this book. I look forward to looking at her next project. My only minor criticism of this book is that the pace of the writing slows a bit towards the very end.

Really readable guide to the contemporary artworld, 11 Oct 2008
Thoroughly readable and entertaining. Without overtly editorialising, the author provides a fascinating insight into different relationships at work in the art world. The shifts in power between artists, dealers, collectors and auction houses are fascinating to unravel as we are guided through the maze of events with clarity and a great sense of humour. I would recommend this as a must read for students of art - of any age.

Worth its Weight in Gold!, 31 Mar 2008
This book is filled to the brim with 371, yes 371 individual sources/texts each with an introduction to contextualise each one. Using it for an essay or dissertation will provide you with quotes that you would not be able to find in other books as well as giving you some of the more obvious source which are great too. It is a big book at 1250 pages which was intimating at first when it dropped through the door but really quickly I discovered that its as good as having a whole library in one book which is just about portable.

This is a great book and when you start using it you will realise what a bargain it is too. Worth its weight in gold

BUY IT NOW!, 16 Apr 2006
I reluctantly bought this book believing it would join others on my bookshelf, however it has become my primary source of reference before starting any art essay. How did I manage before? For anyone with an interest in Fine Art this is a must have! I've noticed that it is difficult to obtain this book now -Phew! got my copy just in time. Seek it out and but it now!! This is one you really need!

You need this book., 13 Oct 2005
Absolutely no question.
If you are studying art or intend to then buy this book.
Now.
Don't hesitate.
It has just about all you need.

Essential primer & intro to world of theory..., 25 Jun 2003
Sadly I've only come across this wonderful book (and its earlier companions) recently- a vast collection of key essays and theories relating to culture in the 20th Century. It certainly beats the **** out of a book like Beginning Theory, which is half the price but much, much shorter. A key book that should be owned by all undergraduates starting Uni operating in the wide remit of humanities. The essays/excerpts are short, easy to read & broken down into eight major sections and subsequent sub-sections. Seriously, this book is packed with the kind of thinking and quotations that should litter any university-standard essay- & also gives you a sample of certain writers- which could then be pursued from this wonderful starting point.

The book has sections on: Classicism & Originality; Expression & the Primitive; Modernity; Cubism; Neo-Classicism & the Call to Order; Dissent & Disorder; Abstraction & Form; Utility & Construction; The Modern as Ideal; Realism as Figuration; Realism as Critique; Modernism as Critique; The American Avant-Garde; Individualism in Europe; Art&Society; Art&Modern Life; Modernist Art; Objecthood&Reductivism; Attitudes to Form; Critical Revisions; The Critique of Originality; Figures of Difference;& The Condition of History. Seriously you could easily read the lot in the first year at uni, setting you up greatly for the harder years that follow...Plenty of key cultural thinkers appear here, a brief survey of the contents pages offers Freud, Rilke, Kandinsky, Croce, Lenin, Wyndham Lewis, Braque, Picasso, Spengler, Duchamp, Man Ray, Tatlin, Klee, Jung, Alfred Rosenberg, John Reed, Trotsky, Breton, Bataille, Brecht, Adorno, Pollock, Sartre, Artaud, Lacan, Camus, Bacon, Schlesinger Jr, Lukacs, Barthes, Raymond Williams,Cage, Warhol, Robbe-Grillet, Derrida, Foucault, Mulvey, Jameson, Said, Baudrillard, Kristeva, Wollen, & just about every major theorist of the 20th Century.

This book is excellent value and the ideal primer for anyone studying any subject relating to theory (pretty much most); only quibble would be the relatively fragile cover, which would require a plastic cover or be easily ruined with the amount of reference to this book that would no doubt occur. OWN!

more Graffiti, 27 Sep 2007
as a collector it seems of books on graffiti, this is another one i have added to my collection. full of the same kinds of images you have seen in other books, it does show some new ones and more creative examples. the only thing i don't like is the binding, which has fallen apart already leaving pages hanging on.

I sat down in Waterstones and started to read this book, and I was there for over an hour! This book is brilliant!!!!, 04 Jun 2007
This book is absolutely brilliant. It has loads and loads of different graff artists' works in here and they are all good. I know a lot about graffiti so this isn't coming from a toy. This book proves that graffiti is art whether you like it or not. You will read this book over and over again as it is so good. Every time I go to a book shop I read this book for a bit; maybe some day I'll actually get it. Anyway, this book is great and Cope 2 is wicked.

fantastic, 22 Feb 2006
Not knowing a lot about graffiti, i found this to be an excellent introduction to the many differnt styles that are out there today, since this is one of the most up to date books around. Drawbacks of trying to be so comprehensive are inevitable in that it won't include everyone that you want it to but that doesn't stop this being a real jaw dropper. Some of the pieces in this book are mind boggling, both in style and complexity, whilst others show how different graf can be from one person to the next. It's hard not to have respect for people that can do this kinda stuff with spraycans.

I like it, 15 Aug 2005
despite of all the bad reviews, I have to say I love this book, I am no graffiti expert, actually I know nothing about it. But I am fasicnated with all the great works out there,and I wanna see more and learn something. this book could be my guide, or at least a feast to my eyes. there are 370 pages! this is not an encyclopedia, and I don't care about the works in the 1970's.

Very valid art, 16 Jul 2005
Graffiti is now a recognised art form, reflecting current mores of society more than anything else. This is why some of it's images are so disturbing. It's artists are being villified in the same way as the impressionists were in the 19th. century. Just try and buy a Degas or Monet now!
The global nature of the great art movement which is graffiti is well described and illustrated in this book which is easy to read and is of high quality. Read, study and learn!

A shark that is not alone swimming in those waters..., 26 Oct 2008
Written by an economist who had access to the most important actors (collectors, dealers, auctioneers, curators, art fair directors...)while doing his research, this book is an in-depth study of the way the market for contemporary art functions, the part played by auction houses, dealers, big collectors, museums, the sometimes incestuous relationships that exist between all of them, how art is priced, how auctions are organized (on and off the scene), how gallery shows are sold (or pre-sold), the importance of art-branding in creating an artist's reputation (the brand being the gallery, the auction house, the artist himself, a museum, or even a collector if he is important enough), and, most importantly, how these art brands are created. One insighful conclusion is that the art market, and the market for contemporary art in particular, is as much brand-driven as any other high-end luxury market. Through case studies (the dealers Larry Gagosian or Jay Joplin, the artists Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin, Jeff Koons, the auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's, the collector Charles Saatchi...)and broader considerations on the overall economics of art, the author manages to write a book which is at the same time well informed (with some spelling approximations, e.g. "Joe Bernardo" for the Portuguese collector Jose Berardo), to the point and easy to read. Of the more than twenty books on the topic available on Amazon's, this one is the best in my opinion (and I've read quite a few...).

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia., 26 May 2005
This is truly one of those life changing books. It is surreal, vulgar, explicit and tender in equal measure. I have an interest in tattooing but my wife does not and she was as taken by the Alice in Wonderland otherness of this book as I was. Everything you have never nor will ever need to know about the Russian criminal underground and it's bizarrely profane tattoo culture.

Sticky Moments!, 11 Apr 2008
This book was a really good read from beginning to end. I always thought Julian an interesting character when i was growing up. So reading this book intrigued me.

Very funny, sad, educational in ways too. A recommended read!

A mouthful you will never forget !?, 01 Jan 2008
Julian has always been an idol of mine - as a young adolescent, I felt there were no gay role models in my life or in the media. His amazing 'entrance' onto our small screens on trashy game show 'Trick or Treat' marked a turning point in my existence. Naturally, I followed his career keenly and was always a fan - 'Sticky Moments', 'Terry & Julian', stage shows, interviews, pantos, etc.

This book actually shatters the glamorous illusion that Julian created with 'The Joan Collins Fan Club' - he is open, candid and reveals an emotional honesty never before revealed. At times, with raised eyebrows, one wondered if it might have been best to leave SOME aspects of his life out of his autobiography - especially some of the sordid details involving his sex life. (Not that I am a prude, far from it, I would have liked Julian to have kept a little 'mystique' going - there is something ill-dignified about revealing TOO much and I wanted to preserve his dignity in my mind).

It is a fascinating journey, jaunty and jolly in places - melancholy in others, but it is all held together with a wry, witty verve and - of course - huge dollops of innuendo and favourite quotes of old. The pictures/ photos are revealing in their own way - one gets a refreshing sense that Julian really wanted to 'tell it how it really was' (all too often celebrities write wishy washy, sentimental, white-washed versions of their life).

This was addictive reading. Entertaining. Shocking. Funny. Touching. One got to feel what the real JC is like minus make-up. He is - like most comedians/celebs - caught up in his own dramas, is his own worst critic and often cannot see the impact he has on others due to his own selfishness/ conceitedness. Julian seemed to have more affection for the canines in his life than the other two-legged characters around him - but this further adds to his vulnerability and highlights his detachment from the realities of day-to-day life.

If you don't want to burst the glamour bubble - dont read this. If you want a slice of comedic indulgence with lots of campness & sex thrown in for good measure - then dive in for more than a few 'Sticky Moments' with Julian Clary !?

Entertaining and insightful!, 03 Aug 2007
I've been interested in Clary's career since first seeing him at the Edinburgh Fringe, many years ago. Consequently, I found this book an absolute treat, devouring it in a couple of days.
Clary's glosses over or ignores some things eg what happened to Sticky Moments ( which I loved!) and how was the sitcom "Terry and Julian" received? He went into more detail than I cared for, regarding sexual activity, but I suspect that was a selling point for the book!
Overall, I gained insight into Clary's life, personality and motivation and also into the world "alternative" comedy in the '80s. This was a very enjoyable and frequently amusing read.

Mildly entertaining but no Wuthering Heights, 05 Jun 2007
I picked up this book in a 3 for the price of 2 offer at W. H. Smiths (sorry Amazon). As such it did not cost me much. I ran through it in about 2 evenings, over dinner at a hotel. It was mildly entertaining but not wildly so. I passed it on to a gay friend of mine who enjoyed it much more than I did. Julian Clary seems to have glossed over most of his life. Even the sexy bits in the book were superficially handled. I believe, if you are going to bring sex into it, then do so wholeheartedly, not in a sniggering behind your hand sort of way.

Disappointed, 11 Nov 2006
I borrowed Julian Clary's autobiography - A Young Man's Passage - from my local library. I'm glad I didn't buy it. We're about the same age, we're both gay, and his journey through life has been quite different to mine. I expected to enjoy this book but, though I liked the first third, the rest of the book was shallow, and ended with a series of dull diary extracts (how lazy is that), closing in 1993. What a rip-off! No doubt Mr C's agent is busily negotiating big bucks for his client for a second instalment. His fans are being cheated. I used to be a fan. No longer. It sickens me that publishers collude in this kind of thing: chucking money at media celebrities to write their "autobiographies" with no thought given to the ability of the "author" to put something decent and worthwhile together. Mr C isn't the first to do this, and he won't be the last. My copy of Wendy Richard's autobiography (which I DID pay for) ended up in a local charity shop (though I nearly chucked it down the chute).

A work of art in itself., 19 Oct 2008
This book is brilliantly written and full of insights into the many cogs of the art world machine and who lubricates them. Judging by her qualifications, Sarah Tornton was designed to write this book. I look forward to looking at her next project. My only minor criticism of this book is that the pace of the writing slows a bit towards the very end.

Really readable guide to the contemporary artworld, 11 Oct 2008
Thoroughly readable and entertaining. Without overtly editorialising, the author provides a fascinating insight into different relationships at work in the art world. The shifts in power between artists, dealers, collectors and auction houses are fascinating to unravel as we are guided through the maze of events with clarity and a great sense of humour. I would recommend this as a must read for students of art - of any age.

Worth its Weight in Gold!, 31 Mar 2008
This book is filled to the brim with 371, yes 371 individual sources/texts each with an introduction to contextualise each one. Using it for an essay or dissertation will provide you with quotes that you would not be able to find in other books as well as giving you some of the more obvious source which are great too. It is a big book at 1250 pages which was intimating at first when it dropped through the door but really quickly I discovered that its as good as having a whole library in one book which is just about portable.

This is a great book and when you start using it you will realise what a bargain it is too. Worth its weight in gold

BUY IT NOW!, 16 Apr 2006
I reluctantly bought this book believing it would join others on my bookshelf, however it has become my primary source of reference before starting any art essay. How did I manage before? For anyone with an interest in Fine Art this is a must have! I've noticed that it is difficult to obtain this book now -Phew! got my copy just in time. Seek it out and but it now!! This is one you really need!

You need this book., 13 Oct 2005
Absolutely no question.
If you are studying art or intend to then buy this book.
Now.
Don't hesitate.
It has just about all you need.

Essential primer & intro to world of theory..., 25 Jun 2003
Sadly I've only come across this wonderful book (and its earlier companions) recently- a vast collection of key essays and theories relating to culture in the 20th Century. It certainly beats the **** out of a book like Beginning Theory, which is half the price but much, much shorter. A key book that should be owned by all undergraduates starting Uni operating in the wide remit of humanities. The essays/excerpts are short, easy to read & broken down into eight major sections and subsequent sub-sections. Seriously, this book is packed with the kind of thinking and quotations that should litter any university-standard essay- & also gives you a sample of certain writers- which could then be pursued from this wonderful starting point.

The book has sections on: Classicism & Originality; Expression & the Primitive; Modernity; Cubism; Neo-Classicism & the Call to Order; Dissent & Disorder; Abstraction & Form; Utility & Construction; The Modern as Ideal; Realism as Figuration; Realism as Critique; Modernism as Critique; The American Avant-Garde; Individualism in Europe; Art&Society; Art&Modern Life; Modernist Art; Objecthood&Reductivism; Attitudes to Form; Critical Revisions; The Critique of Originality; Figures of Difference;& The Condition of History. Seriously you could easily read the lot in the first year at uni, setting you up greatly for the harder years that follow...Plenty of key cultural thinkers appear here, a brief survey of the contents pages offers Freud, Rilke, Kandinsky, Croce, Lenin, Wyndham Lewis, Braque, Picasso, Spengler, Duchamp, Man Ray, Tatlin, Klee, Jung, Alfred Rosenberg, John Reed, Trotsky, Breton, Bataille, Brecht, Adorno, Pollock, Sartre, Artaud, Lacan, Camus, Bacon, Schlesinger Jr, Lukacs, Barthes, Raymond Williams,Cage, Warhol, Robbe-Grillet, Derrida, Foucault, Mulvey, Jameson, Said, Baudrillard, Kristeva, Wollen, & just about every major theorist of the 20th Century.

This book is excellent value and the ideal primer for anyone studying any subject relating to theory (pretty much most); only quibble would be the relatively fragile cover, which would require a plastic cover or be easily ruined with the amount of reference to this book that would no doubt occur. OWN!

more Graffiti, 27 Sep 2007
as a collector it seems of books on graffiti, this is another one i have added to my collection. full of the same kinds of images you have seen in other books, it does show some new ones and more creative examples. the only thing i don't like is the binding, which has fallen apart already leaving pages hanging on.

I sat down in Waterstones and started to read this book, and I was there for over an hour! This book is brilliant!!!!, 04 Jun 2007
This book is absolutely brilliant. It has loads and loads of different graff artists' works in here and they are all good. I know a lot about graffiti so this isn't coming from a toy. This book proves that graffiti is art whether you like it or not. You will read this book over and over again as it is so good. Every time I go to a book shop I read this book for a bit; maybe some day I'll actually get it. Anyway, this book is great and Cope 2 is wicked.

fantastic, 22 Feb 2006
Not knowing a lot about graffiti, i found this to be an excellent introduction to the many differnt styles that are out there today, since this is one of the most up to date books around. Drawbacks of trying to be so comprehensive are inevitable in that it won't include everyone that you want it to but that doesn't stop this being a real jaw dropper. Some of the pieces in this book are mind boggling, both in style and complexity, whilst others show how different graf can be from one person to the next. It's hard not to have respect for people that can do this kinda stuff with spraycans.

I like it, 15 Aug 2005
despite of all the bad reviews, I have to say I love this book, I am no graffiti expert, actually I know nothing about it. But I am fasicnated with all the great works out there,and I wanna see more and learn something. this book could be my guide, or at least a feast to my eyes. there are 370 pages! this is not an encyclopedia, and I don't care about the works in the 1970's.

Very valid art, 16 Jul 2005
Graffiti is now a recognised art form, reflecting current mores of society more than anything else. This is why some of it's images are so disturbing. It's artists are being villified in the same way as the impressionists were in the 19th. century. Just try and buy a Degas or Monet now!
The global nature of the great art movement which is graffiti is well described and illustrated in this book which is easy to read and is of high quality. Read, study and learn!

A shark that is not alone swimming in those waters..., 26 Oct 2008
Written by an economist who had access to the most important actors (collectors, dealers, auctioneers, curators, art fair directors...)while doing his research, this book is an in-depth study of the way the market for contemporary art functions, the part played by auction houses, dealers, big collectors, museums, the sometimes incestuous relationships that exist between all of them, how art is priced, how auctions are organized (on and off the scene), how gallery shows are sold (or pre-sold), the importance of art-branding in creating an artist's reputation (the brand being the gallery, the auction house, the artist himself, a museum, or even a collector if he is important enough), and, most importantly, how these art brands are created. One insighful conclusion is that the art market, and the market for contemporary art in particular, is as much brand-driven as any other high-end luxury market. Through case studies (the dealers Larry Gagosian or Jay Joplin, the artists Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin, Jeff Koons, the auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's, the collector Charles Saatchi...)and broader considerations on the overall economics of art, the author manages to write a book which is at the same time well informed (with some spelling approximations, e.g. "Joe Bernardo" for the Portuguese collector Jose Berardo), to the point and easy to read. Of the more than twenty books on the topic available on Amazon's, this one is the best in my opinion (and I've read quite a few...).

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia., 26 May 2005
This is truly one of those life changing books. It is surreal, vulgar, explicit and tender in equal measure. I have an interest in tattooing but my wife does not and she was as taken by the Alice in Wonderland otherness of this book as I was. Everything you have never nor will ever need to know about the Russian criminal underground and it's bizarrely profane tattoo culture.

Sticky Moments!, 11 Apr 2008
This book was a really good read from beginning to end. I always thought Julian an interesting character when i was growing up. So reading this book intrigued me.

Very funny, sad, educational in ways too. A recommended read!

A mouthful you will never forget !?, 01 Jan 2008
Julian has always been an idol of mine - as a young adolescent, I felt there were no gay role models in my life or in the media. His amazing 'entrance' onto our small screens on trashy game show 'Trick or Treat' marked a turning point in my existence. Naturally, I followed his career keenly and was always a fan - 'Sticky Moments', 'Terry & Julian', stage shows, interviews, pantos, etc.

This book actually shatters the glamorous illusion that Julian created with 'The Joan Collins Fan Club' - he is open, candid and reveals an emotional honesty never before revealed. At times, with raised eyebrows, one wondered if it might have been best to leave SOME aspects of his life out of his autobiography - especially some of the sordid details involving his sex life. (Not that I am a prude, far from it, I would have liked Julian to have kept a little 'mystique' going - there is something ill-dignified about revealing TOO much and I wanted to preserve his dignity in my mind).

It is a fascinating journey, jaunty and jolly in places - melancholy in others, but it is all held together with a wry, witty verve and - of course - huge dollops of innuendo and favourite quotes of old. The pictures/ photos are revealing in their own way - one gets a refreshing sense that Julian really wanted to 'tell it how it really was' (all too often celebrities write wishy washy, sentimental, white-washed versions of their life).

This was addictive reading. Entertaining. Shocking. Funny. Touching. One got to feel what the real JC is like minus make-up. He is - like most comedians/celebs - caught up in his own dramas, is his own worst critic and often cannot see the impact he has on others due to his own selfishness/ conceitedness. Julian seemed to have more affection for the canines in his life than the other two-legged characters around him - but this further adds to his vulnerability and highlights his detachment from the realities of day-to-day life.

If you don't want to burst the glamour bubble - dont read this. If you want a slice of comedic indulgence with lots of campness & sex thrown in for good measure - then dive in for more than a few 'Sticky Moments' with Julian Clary !?

Entertaining and insightful!, 03 Aug 2007
I've been interested in Clary's career since first seeing him at the Edinburgh Fringe, many years ago. Consequently, I found this book an absolute treat, devouring it in a couple of days.
Clary's glosses over or ignores some things eg what happened to Sticky Moments ( which I loved!) and how was the sitcom "Terry and Julian" received? He went into more detail than I cared for, regarding sexual activity, but I suspect that was a selling point for the book!
Overall, I gained insight into Clary's life, personality and motivation and also into the world "alternative" comedy in the '80s. This was a very enjoyable and frequently amusing read.

Mildly entertaining but no Wuthering Heights, 05 Jun 2007
I picked up this book in a 3 for the price of 2 offer at W. H. Smiths (sorry Amazon). As such it did not cost me much. I ran through it in about 2 evenings, over dinner at a hotel. It was mildly entertaining but not wildly so. I passed it on to a gay friend of mine who enjoyed it much more than I did. Julian Clary seems to have glossed over most of his life. Even the sexy bits in the book were superficially handled. I believe, if you are going to bring sex into it, then do so wholeheartedly, not in a sniggering behind your hand sort of way.

Disappointed, 11 Nov 2006
I borrowed Julian Clary's autobiography - A Young Man's Passage - from my local library. I'm glad I didn't buy it. We're about the same age, we're both gay, and his journey through life has been quite different to mine. I expected to enjoy this book but, though I liked the first third, the rest of the book was shallow, and ended with a series of dull diary extracts (how lazy is that), closing in 1993. What a rip-off! No doubt Mr C's agent is busily negotiating big bucks for his client for a second instalment. His fans are being cheated. I used to be a fan. No longer. It sickens me that publishers collude in this kind of thing: chucking money at media celebrities to write their "autobiographies" with no thought given to the ability of the "author" to put something decent and worthwhile together. Mr C isn't the first to do this, and he won't be the last. My copy of Wendy Richard's autobiography (which I DID pay for) ended up in a local charity shop (though I nearly chucked it down the chute).

At this price, it is a steal! (25th Century Edition), 21 Aug 2008
I bought a copy of this book for an artist friend a couple of months ago and paid around £25 for it. This is a newer (2008) edition and has literally hundreds of photos and illustrations. A very, very attractive book, like all Taschen offerings, and I would call it a huge bargain. With free shipping (thanks to Amazon Prime) there is no reason why one should not buy a copy right away.

About the book: It is a survey of the contemporary art and gives a nice overall picture of what is happening in the world of photography, painting and architecture. Taschen would not be organised, no not them! The book has everything thrown in and the only order that is followed is the surnames of the artists in alphabetical order. (Follow Taschen and you will be left with a bookshelf displaying Titian (Taschen Basic Art Series) next to The Big Book of Breasts! In short, they are eclectic in everything they do and this makes their publications so very unique. Do expect some "chaos" when you buy this book. The book can be opened at any page and since every section is self-contained, they can be browsed through repeatedly. I am very happy with my purchase and although contemporary art is not my specialty, this book can be an excellent starting point.

A useful survey of art today - but note the different editions!, 18 Jan 2008
As is sometime the case with Amazon, they group reviews for different editions of a book together. For the record there are several editions of ART NOW:

"ART NOW 137 Artists at the Rise of the New Millennium", ISBN 382281444X (pub June 2002)

This reasonable size book, it measures 25.5cmm x 20cm (10"x8"), 640 pages, and is packed full if images. It covers the work of 137 different artists from the areas of painting, photography, film and video, sculpture, performance art and installation. Each artist is allotted four pages, has a brief introduction of one paragraph (printed in English, German and French), along with a thumb-nail photograph of the artist and a short list of selected exhibitions and bibliography. The pictures fill the pages, sometimes several to a page; in total I estimate there are around 750 illustrations almost entirely in colour. The book concludes with a glossary and brief biographical notes on the authors, plus a section entitled The Art Newspaper which provides art market details and facts about leading art cities in the world.

It covers many well known names including Jeff Koons, Damien Hurst, Luc Tuymans, John Currin, Peter Doig, Tracey Emin to mention a few, plus some less familiar, providing a very useful if brief summary of art today

"ART NOW Artist at the rise of the new Millennium" ISBN 9783822840931 (pub April 2005)

A scaled down version of the above; this is fairly compact book with around 360 pages, it measures 22.5cmm x 18cm (8.75"x7"). It covers the work of just 81 of the artists from the original edition, exactly as they appear there. There are over 500 illustrations almost entirely in colour. The book concludes with a glossary and brief biographical notes on the authors, but there is no "Art Newspaper"

"ART NOW VOL 2 137 Artists at the Rise of the New Millennium" ISBN 3822839965 (pub Dec 2005)

This edition I have not seen, but I understand that the format is the same as before; however all the artists covered are entirely new, none is repeated from previous issues. It is listed as having 640 pages and as being the same size as the original edition.


Excellent, 26 Apr 2007
As with all Taschen art books, this has beautiful and huge colour prints throughout and is a facinating look at a little bit about vast varieties of different modern artists. Extremely interesting, even for those with no interest in art.

Great!, 17 Dec 2002
This book is a continuation of the book "Art at the turn of the
Millenium". It follows exactly the same format. Each artist has
four pages of photographs dedicated to his or her work. There is also a small paragraph about the artist and a mug shot of the artist's
head. Unfortunately, the problems with the origional book have
carried through to this one. The captions to the pictures are unhelpfull, especially with installation and film work and there is little quality writing about the artist in question. However,
the book is extremely concentrated and none (as far as I can see)
of the works featured in the origional book are featured here,
even though many of the artists are. The works on show are thus
those since 2000 or there about. It is however, extremely good value and contains much material which is unavailable outside
art magazines and gallery brochures over the last few years.
If you liked the origional book then this is more of the same, and it's just as good as the last one, if not better!
However, those wanting to begin learning about modern art would
be well advised to look elsewhere. For some artists, the entries
may well mean nothing to you if you don't know at least something about those artists or have seen their exhibitions.
Great! I hope another one comes out in three years time!

A work of art in itself., 19 Oct 2008
This book is brilliantly written and full of insights into the many cogs of the art world machine and who lubricates them. Judging by her qualifications, Sarah Tornton was designed to write this book. I look forward to looking at her next project. My only minor criticism of this book is that the pace of the writing slows a bit towards the very end.

Really readable guide to the contemporary artworld, 11 Oct 2008
Thoroughly readable and entertaining. Without overtly editorialising, the author provides a fascinating insight into different relationships at work in the art world. The shifts in power between artists, dealers, collectors and auction houses are fascinating to unravel as we are guided through the maze of events with clarity and a great sense of humour. I would recommend this as a must read for students of art - of any age.

Worth its Weight in Gold!, 31 Mar 2008
This book is filled to the brim with 371, yes 371 individual sources/texts each with an introduction to contextualise each one. Using it for an essay or dissertation will provide you with quotes that you would not be able to find in other books as well as giving you some of the more obvious source which are great too. It is a big book at 1250 pages which was intimating at first when it dropped through the door but really quickly I discovered that its as good as having a whole library in one book which is just about portable.

This is a great book and when you start using it you will realise what a bargain it is too. Worth its weight in gold

BUY IT NOW!, 16 Apr 2006
I reluctantly bought this book believing it would join others on my bookshelf, however it has become my primary source of reference before starting any art essay. How did I manage before? For anyone with an interest in Fine Art this is a must have! I've noticed that it is difficult to obtain this book now -Phew! got my copy just in time. Seek it out and but it now!! This is one you really need!

You need this book., 13 Oct 2005
Absolutely no question.
If you are studying art or intend to then buy this book.
Now.
Don't hesitate.
It has just about all you need.

Essential primer & intro to world of theory..., 25 Jun 2003
Sadly I've only come across this wonderful book (and its earlier companions) recently- a vast collection of key essays and theories relating to culture in the 20th Century. It certainly beats the **** out of a book like Beginning Theory, which is half the price but much, much shorter. A key book that should be owned by all undergraduates starting Uni operating in the wide remit of humanities. The essays/excerpts are short, easy to read & broken down into eight major sections and subsequent sub-sections. Seriously, this book is packed with the kind of thinking and quotations that should litter any university-standard essay- & also gives you a sample of certain writers- which could then be pursued from this wonderful starting point.

The book has sections on: Classicism & Originality; Expression & the Primitive; Modernity; Cubism; Neo-Classicism & the Call to Order; Dissent & Disorder; Abstraction & Form; Utility & Construction; The Modern as Ideal; Realism as Figuration; Realism as Critique; Modernism as Critique; The American Avant-Garde; Individualism in Europe; Art&Society; Art&Modern Life; Modernist Art; Objecthood&Reductivism; Attitudes to Form; Critical Revisions; The Critique of Originality; Figures of Difference;& The Condition of History. Seriously you could easily read the lot in the first year at uni, setting you up greatly for the harder years that follow...Plenty of key cultural thinkers appear here, a brief survey of the contents pages offers Freud, Rilke, Kandinsky, Croce, Lenin, Wyndham Lewis, Braque, Picasso, Spengler, Duchamp, Man Ray, Tatlin, Klee, Jung, Alfred Rosenberg, John Reed, Trotsky, Breton, Bataille, Brecht, Adorno, Pollock, Sartre, Artaud, Lacan, Camus, Bacon, Schlesinger Jr, Lukacs, Barthes, Raymond Williams,Cage, Warhol, Robbe-Grillet, Derrida, Foucault, Mulvey, Jameson, Said, Baudrillard, Kristeva, Wollen, & just about every major theorist of the 20th Century.

This book is excellent value and the ideal primer for anyone studying any subject relating to theory (pretty much most); only quibble would be the relatively fragile cover, which would require a plastic cover or be easily ruined with the amount of reference to this book that would no doubt occur. OWN!

more Graffiti, 27 Sep 2007
as a collector it seems of books on graffiti, this is another one i have added to my collection. full of the same kinds of images you have seen in other books, it does show some new ones and more creative examples. the only thing i don't like is the binding, which has fallen apart already leaving pages hanging on.

I sat down in Waterstones and started to read this book, and I was there for over an hour! This book is brilliant!!!!, 04 Jun 2007
This book is absolutely brilliant. It has loads and loads of different graff artists' works in here and they are all good. I know a lot about graffiti so this isn't coming from a toy. This book proves that graffiti is art whether you like it or not. You will read this book over and over again as it is so good. Every time I go to a book shop I read this book for a bit; maybe some day I'll actually get it. Anyway, this book is great and Cope 2 is wicked.

fantastic, 22 Feb 2006
Not knowing a lot about graffiti, i found this to be an excellent introduction to the many differnt styles that are out there today, since this is one of the most up to date books around. Drawbacks of trying to be so comprehensive are inevitable in that it won't include everyone that you want it to but that doesn't stop this being a real jaw dropper. Some of the pieces in this book are mind boggling, both in style and complexity, whilst others show how different graf can be from one person to the next. It's hard not to have respect for people that can do this kinda stuff with spraycans.

I like it, 15 Aug 2005
despite of all the bad reviews, I have to say I love this book, I am no graffiti expert, actually I know nothing about it. But I am fasicnated with all the great works out there,and I wanna see more and learn something. this book could be my guide, or at least a feast to my eyes. there are 370 pages! this is not an encyclopedia, and I don't care about the works in the 1970's.

Very valid art, 16 Jul 2005
Graffiti is now a recognised art form, reflecting current mores of society more than anything else. This is why some of it's images are so disturbing. It's artists are being villified in the same way as the impressionists were in the 19th. century. Just try and buy a Degas or Monet now!
The global nature of the great art movement which is graffiti is well described and illustrated in this book which is easy to read and is of high quality. Read, study and learn!

A shark that is not alone swimming in those waters..., 26 Oct 2008
Written by an economist who had access to the most important actors (collectors, dealers, auctioneers, curators, art fair directors...)while doing his research, this book is an in-depth study of the way the market for contemporary art functions, the part played by auction houses, dealers, big collectors, museums, the sometimes incestuous relationships that exist between all of them, how art is priced, how auctions are organized (on and off the scene), how gallery shows are sold (or pre-sold), the importance of art-branding in creating an artist's reputation (the brand being the gallery, the auction house, the artist himself, a museum, or even a collector if he is important enough), and, most importantly, how these art brands are created. One insighful conclusion is that the art market, and the market for contemporary art in particular, is as much brand-driven as any other high-end luxury market. Through case studies (the dealers Larry Gagosian or Jay Joplin, the artists Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin, Jeff Koons, the auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's, the collector Charles Saatchi...)and broader considerations on the overall economics of art, the author manages to write a book which is at the same time well informed (with some spelling approximations, e.g. "Joe Bernardo" for the Portuguese collector Jose Berardo), to the point and easy to read. Of the more than twenty books on the topic available on Amazon's, this one is the best in my opinion (and I've read quite a few...).

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia., 26 May 2005
This is truly one of those life changing books. It is surreal, vulgar, explicit and tender in equal measure. I have an interest in tattooing but my wife does not and she was as taken by the Alice in Wonderland otherness of this book as I was. Everything you have never nor will ever need to know about the Russian criminal underground and it's bizarrely profane tattoo culture.

Sticky Moments!, 11 Apr 2008
This book was a really good read from beginning to end. I always thought Julian an interesting character when i was growing up. So reading this book intrigued me.

Very funny, sad, educational in ways too. A recommended read!

A mouthful you will never forget !?, 01 Jan 2008
Julian has always been an idol of mine - as a young adolescent, I felt there were no gay role models in my life or in the media. His amazing 'entrance' onto our small screens on trashy game show 'Trick or Treat' marked a turning point in my existence. Naturally, I followed his career keenly and was always a fan - 'Sticky Moments', 'Terry & Julian', stage shows, interviews, pantos, etc.

This book actually shatters the glamorous illusion that Julian created with 'The Joan Collins Fan Club' - he is open, candid and reveals an emotional honesty never before revealed. At times, with raised eyebrows, one wondered if it might have been best to leave SOME aspects of his life out of his autobiography - especially some of the sordid details involving his sex life. (Not that I am a prude, far from it, I would have liked Julian to have kept a little 'mystique' going - there is something ill-dignified about revealing TOO much and I wanted to preserve his dignity in my mind).

It is a fascinating journey, jaunty and jolly in places - melancholy in others, but it is all held together with a wry, witty verve and - of course - huge dollops of innuendo and favourite quotes of old. The pictures/ photos are revealing in their own way - one gets a refreshing sense that Julian really wanted to 'tell it how it really was' (all too often celebrities write wishy washy, sentimental, white-washed versions of their life).

This was addictive reading. Entertaining. Shocking. Funny. Touching. One got to feel what the real JC is like minus make-up. He is - like most comedians/celebs - caught up in his own dramas, is his own worst critic and often cannot see the impact he has on others due to his own selfishness/ conceitedness. Julian seemed to have more affection for the canines in his life than the other two-legged characters around him - but this further adds to his vulnerability and highlights his detachment from the realities of day-to-day life.

If you don't want to burst the glamour bubble - dont read this. If you want a slice of comedic indulgence with lots of campness & sex thrown in for good measure - then dive in for more than a few 'Sticky Moments' with Julian Clary !?

Entertaining and insightful!, 03 Aug 2007
I've been interested in Clary's career since first seeing him at the Edinburgh Fringe, many years ago. Consequently, I found this book an absolute treat, devouring it in a couple of days.
Clary's glosses over or ignores some things eg what happened to Sticky Moments ( which I loved!) and how was the sitcom "Terry and Julian" received? He went into more detail than I cared for, regarding sexual activity, but I suspect that was a selling point for the book!
Overall, I gained insight into Clary's life, personality and motivation and also into the world "alternative" comedy in the '80s. This was a very enjoyable and frequently amusing read.

Mildly entertaining but no Wuthering Heights, 05 Jun 2007
I picked up this book in a 3 for the price of 2 offer at W. H. Smiths (sorry Amazon). As such it did not cost me much. I ran through it in about 2 evenings, over dinner at a hotel. It was mildly entertaining but not wildly so. I passed it on to a gay friend of mine who enjoyed it much more than I did. Julian Clary seems to have glossed over most of his life. Even the sexy bits in the book were superficially handled. I believe, if you are going to bring sex into it, then do so wholeheartedly, not in a sniggering behind your hand sort of way.

Disappointed, 11 Nov 2006
I borrowed Julian Clary's autobiography - A Young Man's Passage - from my local library. I'm glad I didn't buy it. We're about the same age, we're both gay, and his journey through life has been quite different to mine. I expected to enjoy this book but, though I liked the first third, the rest of the book was shallow, and ended with a series of dull diary extracts (how lazy is that), closing in 1993. What a rip-off! No doubt Mr C's agent is busily negotiating big bucks for his client for a second instalment. His fans are being cheated. I used to be a fan. No longer. It sickens me that publishers collude in this kind of thing: chucking money at media celebrities to write their "autobiographies" with no thought given to the ability of the "author" to put something decent and worthwhile together. Mr C isn't the first to do this, and he won't be the last. My copy of Wendy Richard's autobiography (which I DID pay for) ended up in a local charity shop (though I nearly chucked it down the chute).

At this price, it is a steal! (25th Century Edition), 21 Aug 2008
I bought a copy of this book for an artist friend a couple of months ago and paid around £25 for it. This is a newer (2008) edition and has literally hundreds of photos and illustrations. A very, very attractive book, like all Taschen offerings, and I would call it a huge bargain. With free shipping (thanks to Amazon Prime) there is no reason why one should not buy a copy right away.

About the book: It is a survey of the contemporary art and gives a nice overall picture of what is happening in the world of photography, painting and architecture. Taschen would not be organised, no not them! The book has everything thrown in and the only order that is followed is the surnames of the artists in alphabetical order. (Follow Taschen and you will be left with a bookshelf displaying Titian (Taschen Basic Art Series) next to The Big Book of Breasts! In short, they are eclectic in everything they do and this makes their publications so very unique. Do expect some "chaos" when you buy this book. The book can be opened at any page and since every section is self-contained, they can be browsed through repeatedly. I am very happy with my purchase and although contemporary art is not my specialty, this book can be an excellent starting point.

A useful survey of art today - but note the different editions!, 18 Jan 2008
As is sometime the case with Amazon, they group reviews for different editions of a book together. For the record there are several editions of ART NOW:

"ART NOW 137 Artists at the Rise of the New Millennium", ISBN 382281444X (pub June 2002)

This reasonable size book, it measures 25.5cmm x 20cm (10"x8"), 640 pages, and is packed full if images. It covers the work of 137 different artists from the areas of painting, photography, film and video, sculpture, performance art and installation. Each artist is allotted four pages, has a brief introduction of one paragraph (printed in English, German and French), along with a thumb-nail photograph of the artist and a short list of selected exhibitions and bibliography. The pictures fill the pages, sometimes several to a page; in total I estimate there are around 750 illustrations almost entirely in colour. The book concludes with a glossary and brief biographical notes on the authors, plus a section entitled The Art Newspaper which provides art market details and facts about leading art cities in the world.

It covers many well known names including Jeff Koons, Damien Hurst, Luc Tuymans, John Currin, Peter Doig, Tracey Emin to mention a few, plus some less familiar, providing a very useful if brief summary of art today

"ART NOW Artist at the rise of the new Millennium" ISBN 9783822840931 (pub April 2005)

A scaled down version of the above; this is fairly compact book with around 360 pages, it measures 22.5cmm x 18cm (8.75"x7"). It covers the work of just 81 of the artists from the original edition, exactly as they appear there. There are over 500 illustrations almost entirely in colour. The book concludes with a glossary and brief biographical notes on the authors, but there is no "Art Newspaper"

"ART NOW VOL 2 137 Artists at the Rise of the New Millennium" ISBN 3822839965 (pub Dec 2005)

This edition I have not seen, but I understand that the format is the same as before; however all the artists covered are entirely new, none is repeated from previous issues. It is listed as having 640 pages and as being the same size as the original edition.


Excellent, 26 Apr 2007
As with all Taschen art books, this has beautiful and huge colour prints throughout and is a facinating look at a little bit about vast varieties of different modern artists. Extremely interesting, even for those with no interest in art.

Great!, 17 Dec 2002
This book is a continuation of the book "Art at the turn of the
Millenium". It follows exactly the same format. Each artist has
four pages of photographs dedicated to his or her work. There is also a small paragraph about the artist and a mug shot of the artist's
head. Unfortunately, the problems with the origional book have
carried through to this one. The captions to the pictures are unhelpfull, especially with installation and film work and there is little quality writing about the artist in question. However,
the book is extremely concentrated and none (as far as I can see)
of the works featured in the origional book are featured here,
even though many of the artists are. The works on show are thus
those since 2000 or there about. It is however, extremely good value and contains much material which is unavailable outside
art magazines and gallery brochures over the last few years.
If you liked the origional book then this is more of the same, and it's just as good as the last one, if not better!
However, those wanting to begin learning about modern art would
be well advised to look elsewhere. For some artists, the entries
may well mean nothing to you if you don't know at least something about those artists or have seen their exhibitions.
Great! I hope another one comes out in three years time!

just the thing for a design student, 24 Jan 2000
this book is th most comprehensive of its type and i would strongly reccommend it to anyone who needs to do any design reseach. excellent across theboard

If you're into design, this should be your design bible, 15 Dec 1998
This is a great book for learning about everything from period styles of the 20th Century to the context in which every chair in this period was designed. Short biografies of the most important designer/architects is also included. The book contains very professional photographs and is a must-have to everyone that is the slightest bit interested in design. Nothing is missing from this book.