Posted July 19, 2003

Nobody beats Grove art reference books for thoroughness of research, accuracy of information, bibliographic documentation of entries and essays, and overall scholarliness. Or is it scholularity? Whatever it is, if it's published by Grove, it's the best. And this time, it's Encyclopedia of American Art Before 1914 edited by Jane Turner.

The single volume illustrated text distills the essentials of early American art history into alphabetic order, sacrificing neither depth nor quality, making it a necessary addition to any working American art reference library. It covers all major American artistic, architectural, and design developments from the Colonial period through 1914, effectively charting the artistic evolution of the emerging American nation. 500 of the 835 total entries are biographies of influential artists such as John Singleton Copley, Benjamin West, Thomas Cole, and Paul Revere, including some 30 late 19th and early 20th century California artists, frequently overlooked in previous literature.

Encyclopedia of American Art Before 1914 is the first volume in the series Grove Encyclopedias of the Arts of the Americas. Other Grove standouts include the 29 volume New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and the 34 volume award-winning Grove Dictionary of Art. Grove dictionaries and encyclopedias are the best. Over and out.

Encyclopedia of American Art Before 1914 edited by Jane Turner. Grove's Dictionaries, Inc., New York, 2000, hardbound, dust jacket, illustrated, 8 by 10 1/4 inches, 688 pages, $250.