World of Art

[4] Perhaps the most classic book in the series is A Concise History of Painting: From Giotto to Cézanne by Michael Levey (of the National Gallery in London), originally published in 1962 (ISBN 0-500-20024-6).

The series was initially titled The World of Art Library and published with black backgrounds on the back cover and spine, the front usually taken by a large image in colour.

[5] In 2020, World of Art was relaunched with a batch of new titles, the covers have been once again redesigned by Dutch design studio Kummer & Herrman, now using white as background.

'[7] Amongst the new titles it could be highlighted Monet by James H. Rubin, a refreshing reconsideration of the painter, and Central and Eastern European Art since 1950 by Maja and Reuben Fowkes.

[8] The earliest titles were grouped into eight categories with colour codes: Architecture (orange), Artists (pink), Galleries (green), General (yellow), History of Art (blue), Modern Movements (red), Music (white) and New Directions (grey).

Evolution of the cover design. 1, Herbert Read 's A Concise History of Modern Painting , originally published in 1959 in the series, which became a foundational text for art students everywhere. [ 2 ] 2, Michael Levey 's A Concise History of Painting: From Giotto to Cézanne . 3, Whitney Chadwick 's Women, Art, and Society . 4, Richard J. Powell 's Black Art and Culture in the 20th Century . 5, Patrick Waldberg 's Surrealism . 6, James H. Rubin 's Monet .
Some earliest hardbacks with glossy dust jackets, spanning the period 1961–1980, the majority of these publications date back to the 1960s.