Van Gogh: Avenel Art Library

Eyewitness Books are filled with wonderful photographs and pictures. They tell great stories and information about a wide number of nonfiction topics. This book is about Vincent Van Gogh. It covers his life and works right up to his death. The book is written for grades 5 and up. I use them for a teaching tool for ESOL students in a middle school setting. The reading can be tough but great for the more advanced kids. The photographs and pictures help a lot in bringing an understanding about a topic to a student who doesn't understand much English. My homeroom kids love these books too. I highly recommend them to teachers and parents alike.

This is an easy to read, summary of his life, with nice pictures and information.

First of all I must say anything DK Publishing touches turns to gold; and the same goes double to infinity for Vincent. You would not believe the information packed into this 64 page carry anywhere book full of photographs of family and places he lived, amazing sketches, personal belongings, influences, quotes, and over 70 of his most popular and beautiful paintings and so much more! This is for everyone! It does not include "Starry Night" however.Here are the contents: 1 YOUTH AND FAMILY 2 LIFE IN ENGLAND 3 PREACHING AND POVERTY 4 THE IMAGE OF THE SOWER 5 ETTEN AND THE HAGUE 6 PEASANTS AT WORK 7 A LOVE OF NATURE 8 A MATTER OF FAITH 9 A PEASANT MEAL 10 ARRIVAL IN ANTWERP 11 THE ANTWERP ACADEMY 12 A PARISIAN EXPERIENCE 13 IMAGES OF PARIS 14 THE IMPRESSIONISTS 15 NEW APPROACHES 16 JAPANESE INFLUENCES 17 SUNFLOWERS 18 A STUDY IN YELLOW 19 THE LURE OF THE SOUTH 20 VAN GOGH AND GAUGUIN 21 A HEROIC SELF PORTRAIT 22 THE AFFLICTED ARTIST 23 NATURAL STUDIES 24 COPIES 25 PROVENCAL LANDSCAPE 26 AN ERRATIC RECOVERY 27 A RETURN TO THE NORTH 28 THE FINAL ACT 29 KEY DATES/ VAN GOGH COLLECTIONS 30 GLOSSARY/ WORKS ON EXHIBIT 31 INDEX/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWhat makes this book so enjoyable is that it has it all. Most books I've seen on Vincent are either loaded with art but the book layout is impossible to read due to lack of organization; or the opposite--books with tons of information but nothing but black and white thumbnail sketches. This book is a gem; extremely colorful plus has some black and white-- but each and every page is fully organized and beautiful to read and look at. Bruce Bernard, you have got to be the most organized man in the universe! WOW!A must own for anyone and everyone! Especially the beginner to intermediate van Gogh enthusiast, however; the personal belongings, photographs, quotes and succinctness of this book would be well appreciated by the most acumen of Vincent's studiers/admirers.P.S. I highly recommend this book and any other of the series of Eyewitness books that strike your fancy. I also own book #25 Crystal and Gems. There are 110 different books from everything to Music, Fossils, Reptiles, Invention, Weather, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Bible Lands, Volcano and Earthquake, Shark; Aztec, Inca and Maya; Castle, Pyramid, Ancient China, Archeology, North American Indian, Ocean, Battle, Witches and Magic-Makers, Space Exploration, Crime Detection, Force and Motion, Chemistry, Time and Space, Astronomy, Earth, Human Body, Medicine, Technology, Electronics, Renaissance, Impressionism, Goya, Manet, Monet, Leonardo & his times, Future, Mythology, Titanic, Football, Hurricane & Tornado, Presidents, Baseball....on and on! Oh I've got to buy a few more I see!

For a smaller book designed to give a high level overview of Van Gogh's life and career as an artist, this book is surprisingly informative and well written. Van Gogh's life is covered in a well researched commentary and there are also sub-sections devoted specifically to "Masterpieces". The graphics are excellent and the analysis clear and concise. In terms of a good, brief overview of Vincent van Gogh, this book is first rate.