Illustration: A Concise History

Hall (Illustration), a lecturer at the Central Saint Martins College in London, struggles in this uneven addition to the Thames & Hudson World of Art series to sum up the history of illustration over the past 250 years. He begins in 18th-century Europe, when the Enlightenment sparked a need for informational images in encyclopedias, scientific texts, and political tracts. Over time, illustration developed into an industry with its own specialized technologies, celebrity artists, trade schools, and museums. Unfortunately, Hall fails to do justice to what is admittedly a sprawling history. The feature appendices at the end of the book dive into specific fields like architectural design and children’s book art, providing valuable detail not found in the main text. Other fields get short shrift; fashion illustration, for example, isn’t mentioned until the 1950s, and cultures outside of Europe and North America receive scattershot coverage. Despite the wealth of fascinating illustrations—among them W.E.B. Du Bois’s proto-modernist charts, classical scientific illustrations by women, and a two-page spread of dueling WWII propaganda posters—the overall effect is both rushed and rambling. This will leave readers wanting. (May)