This guide offers a selective, annotated list of bibliographical guides
to reference materials in the fields of art history and archeology. A
brief list of style manuals and handbooks on research methods is appended.
Research Manuals
Arntzen, Etta and Robert Rainwater. Guide to the literature of art
history. Chicago: American Library Association, 1980. Ref Z 5931 .A67
(LC)
The most comprehensive general guide to art historical literature.
Omits monographs on artists, for which see Freitag below. Second volume
forthcoming, edited by Max Marmor and Alex Ross.
Chamberlin, Mary. Guide to art reference books. Chicago: American
Library Association, 1959. Ref Z 5931 .C43 (LC)
Largely superseded by preceding title, but still useful and
still cited.
Ehresmann, Donald. Applied and decorative arts: a bibliographic guide
to basic reference works, histories, and handbooks. Littleton, Col.:
Libraries Unlimited, 1977. Ref Z 5956 .A68E47 1992 (LC)
_______. Architecture: a bibliographic guide to basic reference works,
histories, and handbooks. Littleton, Col.: Libraries Unlimited, 1984.
Ref Z 5941 .E38 1984 (LC)
_______. Fine arts: a bibliographic guide to basic reference works,
histories,and handbooks. 3rd ed. Littleton, Col.: Libraries Unlimited,
1990. Ref Z 5931 .E47 1990 (LC)
Freitag, Wolfgang. Art books: a basic bibliography of monographs on
artists. New York: Garland, 1985. Ref Z 5938 .F74 1985 (LC)
Jones, Lois Swan. Art information: research methods and resources.
3rd ed. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt, 1990. N 85 .J65 1990 (LC)
A readable, reliable guide to the wide range of art library
resources. Especially useful for newcomers to art historical research,
to art libraries and to new information technologies.
Kleinbauer, W. Eugene. Modern perspectives in western art history:
an anthology of 20th-century writings on the visual arts. New York:
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1971; reprint 1989. Ref N 7443.2 .K54 (LC)
Well-known, representative anthology preceded by a long historiographic
survey of 20th-century art historical literature. Unfortunately lacks
an index.
________ and Thomas Slavens. Research guide to western art history.
Chicago: American Library Association, 1982. SML N 380 .K56 1982 (LC)
Useful bibliographic and historiographic guide, organized by
genres of art historical literature.
Lavalleye, Jacques. Introduction a l'archeologie et a l'histoire de
l'art. 4th ed. Louvain-La-Neuve: Institut superieur d'archeologie
et d'histoire de l'art, 1979. SML N 380 .L38 1979 (LC)
Schlosser, Julius von. La litterature artistique: manuel des sources
de l'histoire de l'art moderne. Paris: Flammarion, 1984.
On order; copy in Art Librarian's Office
Classic survey of early art literature up to the 18th century.
Often referred to simply as Schlosser. The new French ed. is the most
current bibliographically but is less reliable than the Italian ed. of
1964 (La etterature artistica, ed. by Otto Kurz); see M. Marmor's review
in the Burlington Magazine, October 1988.
Tietze, Hans. Die Methode der Kunstgeschichte. Leipzig: Seemann,
1913. SML N 7475 .T54 (LC)
Classic survey of art historical methods from the standpoint
of the Vienna School. Outdated but never superseded.
Wilk, Barbara. Wie finde ich kunstwissenschaftliche Literatur.
2nd. ed. Berlin: Spitz, 1987. N5303 W55 1992 (LC)
Addressed to German-speaking students and framed in terms of German
libraries, but a handy bibliographical guide nonetheless.
Related Disciplines
Guide to reference books. 11th ed. Chicago: American Library Association,
1996. CCL Ref Z 1035 .G85 1996 (LC)
The standard bibliographical guide to all fields of scholarship.
Best starting point for interdisciplinary work in the humanities and social
sciences. Includes art history and archeology.
Style Manuals
Barnet, Sylvan. A short guide to writing about art. 5th ed.
New York: Longman, 1997. Ref N 7476 .B37 1989 (LC)
Widely endorsed by art history professors.
Chicago Manual of Style. 14th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1993. Ref Z 253 .U69 1993 (LC)
Standard manual "for authors, editors, and copywriters."
Goldman, Bernard. Reading and writing in the arts: a handbook.
Detroit: Wayne State Press, 1972. Ref Z 5931 .G65
Brief guide to research methods, writing and publishing in
art history. Includes list of basic reference works.
Turabian, Kate L. A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and
dissertations. 5th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Ref LB 2369 .T8 1987
Condensed version of the Chicago Manual (see above)