Recent critical revisionism has made it very difficult to establish the parameters of "Art" these days, so a book with the title Art: A World History may sound like an incredibly ambitious, but potentially fraught, project. However, Dorling Kindersley's magnificent book manages to take these debates in its stride, while offering an imaginative and virtually comprehensive survey of world art, stretching from rock art dating from the 5th millennium BC, to digitally enhanced computerised art of the 1990s.

The book moves with great clarity through six broad sections. These lead the reader through the Prehistoric and Ancient Worlds, through Romanesque and Renaissance developments, the impact of commerce and industry on 18th and 19th-century art, and finally the crisis of tradition, the birth of the modern and the fragmented world of contemporary art. Within these categories the book offers a comprehensive historical chronology and breakdown of key artistic developments arranged geographically, drawing on the expertise of a range of international experts within their respective fields.

What is most impressive about this book is its visual and intellectual presentation. Every section offers detailed and intelligent overviews of particular periods, as well as lavishly illustrated vignettes of particular paintings, buildings, styles, and artists. This is supplemented by the minute dissection of key works, which are broken down into their basic components to give the reader a better understanding of their compositional significance.

This leads to some delightful touches, such as the comparison between the ways in which Velazquez and Bacon approach the study of Pope Innocent X. The book is also impressive in its incorporation of previously marginalised art forms, such as the decorative arts and crafts, tapestries, interior design, photography and computer art, a particularly effective innovation when it comes to exploring more recent forms of artistic expression.

In any book of this scale there are of course omissions; where, for instance, is contemporary African or Islamic art? But these are minor quibbles. This is a beautiful book, sumptuously illustrated with well over 2,000 wonderfully reproduced illustrations. If you are after an accessible, informative, comprehensive and attractive history of world art, there is no better book on the market. --Jerry Brotton.

I was given this book as a gift by a friend who knew I was interested in learning more about art. It is a wonderful, overall introduction to the subject. It is easy and interesting reading with 1000's of pictures. I enjoy it in short segments when I wish to be taken to another place.