Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects: Volume 1 (Everyman's Library CLASSICS) Hardcover – 31 Oct. 1996

Bought both volumes as a reference. If you’re interested in the Italian Renaissance then this is the work you should be using to find out more about both the ‘stars’ and the lesser known artists of the time.Fascinating nuggets of information, well written (in fact it’s surprising how old the work is) and easy to use as a reference guide.

A MAGNIFICIENT WORK OF EXQUISITE DETAIL.

Present for husband who loved it. Very interesting content. Gives a different perspective on the artists covered in the books as written by a contemporary.

Great price for great book.

Useful for my studies

Interesting

excellent tome.

See above.

When purchased it said a "boxed set" They did not come boxed the top of one book and the back of another had dirty marks they were not in packaging other than the box posted in so damged on the corners. As I purchased on behalf of a friend not what I expected.

MUST READ FOR THE ART LOVER, ART STUDENT, PAINTER OR JUST DILATANT. dilatant

Rating this book with stars it pointless as it is a unique record of the Renaissance by a man who was part of it’s phenomenal development. By our modern standards of writing, all the translations of ancient texts reflect a fulsome prose style which today would be pruned by a good editor. The whole point of this book is it’s importance as a contemporary record and should be read by anyone interested in the arts, and the personalities who created aspects of the Renaissance in particular. As a publication some annotations would be very helpful to those less familiar with the topic of the book.Vasari, like Gibbon and many other historians, is criticised for his bias. Personally I find a reading all the more interesting for its bias. Through bias one gets glimpses of the writer as a personality and I believe we are the richer for it. So you will find no criticism from me. No history can be entirely objective without being reduced to a mere record of facts. It is the personality of the historian that gives life, meaning and understanding to the events so described.I found the introductory sketch of the loss of civilisation as a consequence of the fall of Rome most interesting as it was well illustrated with specific examples of the consequences for the arts in particular. The anecdotes of the painters and artists were very good, some humorous, but sadly, many of the creations he describes are now damaged or lost.Recommended reading to artists and history buffs alike.