On Beauty is neither a history of art, nor a history of aesthetics, but Umberto
Eco draws on both these disciplines to define the ideas of beauty that have info
rmed us from the classical world to modern times. In terms of form and style, On
Beauty has been conceived for a vast and diverse readership. Packed with exampl
es from painting, sculpture, architecture, film, photography, the decorative art
s and literature, it offers a rich and intelligent panorama of this huge subject
.
In On Beauty Eco is at his most captivating and eclectic: we read not only
of Botticelli and Michelangelo but of how much the fashion of the 1960s owes to
ancient Egyptian dress, and how ancient Roman and eighteenth-century hairstyles
have much in common. It makes the familiar new, and sheds a brilliant light on t
he unfamiliar. On Beauty is illustrated in full colour throughout and produced t
o the highest standards.
