This handsome two-volume set by curators Carbone and Barbara Dayer Gallati and Linda S. Ferber (vice-president & director, Museum at the New York Historical Soc.; coauthor, Homer: Illustrating America ) chronicles the beginnings of the Brooklyn Museum. The nearly 700 paintings represented are by 340 artists, among them John Singer Sargent, Maurice Prendergast, and Mary Cassatt. Volume 1 provides background information on the museum's founding; a chronology of curators and directors who helped shape its growth; and 160 full-page, full-color plates that are followed by an extensive catalog of artists' biographies, black-and-white reproductions, interpretative essays, painting dimensions, source of acquisition, and, where possible, plate number. There are also technical notes that further examine the condition of the painting and a list of where the work has been exhibited. Volume 2 contains a guide to technical notes, a glossary of technical terms, and an index. Readable and comprehensive in scope, these volumes make a valuable reference source for anyone interested in American art, from curators researching provenance to students and librarians looking for answers to specific questions. With its impressive acquisitions, the museum provides through this set a general introduction to early American art. Highly recommended. Ellen Bates, New York Volume 1: 160 colour & 325 b/w illustrations Volume 2: 535 b/w illustrations
