Art Kunst 12. International Bibliography of Art Books 1983 by Zusammengestellt (review)

evolutionary roots of human behavior reach photo typesetting, computerized printing and far back into the behavior pattern of animals.” television books. Perhaps the patterns of dynergic symmetry as One is stimulated to take another dip into they emerge in limitless variety of forms show the original literature of the Renaissance;early us one of these roots. works are appropriately described and reviewed . In addition to a good General Index, Reviewed by Gy6rgy Doczi, 6837-47 th NE, Seattle, WA 981I5,U.S.A. there is appended an excellent Bibliographical Index which not only guides the reader to relevant pages, but also presents full titles of all the works cited. The Printing Press as an Agent of Change: Communications and Cultural Transformations in Early-Modern Europe. 2 Vols. Elisabeth L. Eisenstein. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge , 1979. 794 pp. Cloth, €35.00 ISBN: 0521 -22044-0. Eisenstein presents the first full-scale, in-depth treatment to date on this fascinating subject. She shows the important effects that the advent of printing had upon prevailing cultural, religious and scientifictraditions and rightly argues that this impact deserves more attention. Few, if any, of the changes outlined could have been predicted; even with hindsight they have been little appreciated until now. This book, which records these changes up to the age of the wooden hand press, presents a scholarly analysis. The author has followed Bacon’s advice and brought together many closely-related facts of life concerning art, science and technology. With today’s printing revolution moving away from the Gutenberg system, it seems appropriate to review the impact of the early printing press upon European history. Although many scholars concur with Bacon’s opinion that this invention changed “the appearance and state of the whole world”, few took note of the force, effect and consequences of Gutenberg’s invention. Of particular interest to the average Leonardo reader, and even more so to those who teach, is the chapter, “Technical Literature Goes to Press: Some New Trends in Scientific Writing and Research”. Although Pacioli, in the design of illustrations for his Divine Proportion, appears to have secured the help of Leonardo da Vinci, the artist -engineer shunned print insofar as his own writings were concerned. While Leonardo had a good personal library by the year 1500,his own ideas remained buried in his notes and drawings. Nevertheless, one is led to wonder about what revolutionary ideas Leonardo may have germinated in the fields of engraving and printing, perhaps in notes that have not surfaced. These two volumes are so scholarly in their treatment that the reader receives an additional bonus: an excellent review, in parallel, of contemporary scientific achievements in fields other than printing. Special studies are brought together in scattered areas which had not previously been clearly correlated. In addition to achieving her main objective, she certainly enriches the reader’s historical perspective. The author provides excellent coverage of the important consequences of the communications shift from script to print in the fifteenth century, hitherto a relatively neglected field. Although this book is mainly a work of synthesis, Eisenstein has proved herself to be an excellent research analyst. She is certainly qualified to further enrich our historical understanding by carrying her analysis into our present communications revolution: Reviewed by Sean ODriscoll, Irish International Art Centre, Castle Matrix, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, Ireland. Art Kunst 12. International Bibliography of Art Books 1983. Compiled by Zusammengestellt. Edited by Lukas Lotz. W. Jaggi AG, Basel. 238 pp. Paper. ISBN: 3-906430-12-X. The twelfth edition of Art Kunsr. an international bibliography of art books published in 1983, bas a usable format and its contents are expertly categorized for easy reference. This publication restricts its linguistic coverage to English, French and German. Its contents in the main deal with publications and exhibitions in Great Britain, France and Germany. In the introduction the editors state, “Based on information supplied by publishers throughout the world, this bibliography lists the titles of all art publications as well as the most important exhibition catalogues appeared [sic] in 1983.” One can only assume that many publishers do not or do not wish to inform Arr Kunsr of their activities. The bibliography is compiled...