"Like every art historian of my generation, my way of thinking about pictures has been in large measure shaped by Ernst Gombrich. I was 15 when I read The Story of Art and like millions since, I felt I had been given a map of a great country, and with it the confidence to explore further without fear of being overwhelmed."―Neil MacGregor, former Director of the National Gallery, London, 1995 "Almost as well known as the Mona Lisa, Sir Ernst Gombrich's The Story of Art unites learning and pleasure."―Pierre Rosenberg, President-Directeur, Musee du Louvre, Paris "More people... have been introduced to the world of fine art, in the last 45 years, though Ernst Gombrich's The Story of Art than through any other single book."―Christopher Frayling, Professor of Cultural History, Royal College of Art, London "The country's bestselling book on art, never out of print, still in demand (and not just by students) and one of the few 'gift books' that actually gets read. The work is not so simplistic as the title implies, but it is this very title that rendered the book enormously attractive in 1950 to a new sort of book buyer: the self-educator. This field was set to grow, publishers eagerly wooing punters into buying the one big book on every impossibly massive but key subject. But with Gombrich, art was all sewn up."―The Times "The Story of Art has just about everything you need to follow the course of art from cave painting to David Hockney - I am surprised it’s not yet been placed in hotels on the bedside table along with Gideon’s Bible since Gombrich is as authoritative as the voice of God - the book has always been a pleasure to read and handle, the colour plates, now with many new additions, are excellent and the text is clear and straightforward, devoid of both pedantry and academic tedium."―The Birmingham Post "As a humane, uncomplicated but unpatronising account of art from prehistoric cave daubs to twentieth-century splurges, Gombrich’s Story of Art is just what its title promises: more of a story than a work of reference, yet that as well."―Business Weekly "A wise and wide-ranging introduction to art history that will last and last."―The List "At 90-odd, the prolific art historian is still going strong. His populist approach comes from his childhood in Vienna, where art was for everyone, not just for stuffed shirts."―The Mail on Sunday "Gombrich has done more than any other human being to draw people towards an enlightened understanding of art. Wearing his immense learning lightly, tackling abstract ideas without losing his readers in jargon, he has attracted a devoted following."―The Sunday Times "The gift he gave us was to make the living process of art understandable to us all. Rather than a dry cultural history, he made looking at art - that perceptual experience - an adventure."―Antony Gormley, artist "Did more tham any other writer in the last 100 years to introduce a wider public to a love of art. Successive generations of students have been drawn to The Story of Art, his erudite survey of Western art, and his big idea: "There is no such thing as art - there are only artists." An academic who stayed firmly outside his profession's charmed circle, his book was intended as a rallying cry against snobbery and elitism, and has remained a classic."―Antique Dealer and Collector's Guide "Ernst Gombrich was the most famous art historian in the world. His reputation was based on a particular approach to the subject, or the mastery of a single period, than on the breadth of his interests and his skill at making the history of art interesting to a non-specialist public."―Independent "...Lucid and endlessly informative..."―The Good Book Guide "Gombrich's voice is lively, opinionated, and almost conversational, yet his erudition shines through to make a book that is both accessible and informative."―Library Journal "This comprehensive look at Western art from prehistoric times on up to the present has been completely redesigned and extensively revised and updated."―Booklist "Enjoy the most famous book on art ever published... This has been revamped for the first time since 1972, offering larger illustrations, more color, and improved text and coverage. Highly recommended."―Midwest Book Review

Preface 7 (8) INTRODUCTION On art and artists 15 (24) Strange Beginnings Prehistoric and primitive peoples; Ancient 39 (16) America Art for Eternity Egypt, Mesopotamia, Crete 55 (20) The Great Awakening Greece, seventh to fifth century BC 75 (24) The Realm of Beauty Greece and the Greek world, fourth century 99 (18) BC to first century AD World Conquerors Romans, Buddhists, Jews and Christians, 117(16) first to fourth century AD A Parting of Ways Rome and Byzantium, fifth to thirteenth 133(10) century Looking Eastwards Islam, China, second to thirteenth century 143(14) Western Art in the Melting Pot Europe, sixth to eleventh century 157(14) The Church Militant The twelfth century 171(14) The Church Triumphant The thirteenth century 185(22) Courtiers and Burghers The fourteenth century 207(16) The Conquest of Reality The early fifteenth century 223(24) Tradition and Innovation I The later fifteenth century in Italy 247(22) Tradition and Innovation II The fifteenth century in the North 269(18) Harmony Attained Tuscany and Rome, early sixteenth century 287(38) Light and Colour Venice and northern Italy, early sixteenth 325(16) century The New Learning Spreads Germany and the Netherlands, early 341(20) sixteenth century A Crisis of Art Europe, later sixteenth century 361(26) Vision and Visions Catholic Europe, first half of the 387(26) seventeenth century The Mirror of Nature Holland, seventeenth century 413(22) Power and Glory I Italy, later seventeenth and eighteenth 435(12) centuries Power and Glory II France, Germany and Austria, late 447(10) seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries The Age of Reason England and France, eighteenth century 457(18) The Break in Tradition England, America and France, late 475(24) eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Permanent Revolution The nineteenth century 499(36) In Search of New Standards The late nineteenth century 535(22) Experimental Art The first half of the twentieth century 557(42) A Story Without End The triumph of Modernism 599(19) Another turning of the tide 618(8) The changing past 626(12) A note on art books 638(17) Chronological charts 655(9) Maps 664(6) List of illustrations by location 670(4) Index and glossary 674(13) Acknowledgements 687