If it isn’t completely obvious to you already, I’ll just lay it out there plainly… I’m a collector. I don’t know if it’s genetics or upbringing or just a personality trait, but I have that drive to hunt, find, collect, and curate things of interest.  It doesn’t matter if I’m taking a walk on the beach, looking for shells and sharks’ teeth, or scrolling online to score an antique that will fill a hole in a growing collection. What I collect has changed over the years.  While I am an avid collector of whatever currently excites me, I have gotten better about curating those collections more intentionally and knowing when I have enough and can just pick up a rare find here and there.  And then I move on to the next thing.  Art books have been my fastest-growing collection in the past couple of years and I have amassed a library of over 300 books on movements, museums, exhibitions, styles, individual artists, color, supplies, techniques, and instruction in a variety of mediums.

While it might seem like I’m just picking up any art books that cross my path, it has been very intentional and I’m getting pickier as my shelves fill up.  I’ve zeroed in on what I look for in art books, how I search for them, and how I keep track of the ones I have and the ones I’m looking for.  I actually enjoy taking a little time to search for hidden gems I’ve yet to discover.

art books | what I look for

After buying a few duds because I was wooed by a low price and didn’t really do research on the book, I know just what I’m looking for.  First of all, I want large books (8 x 10 or larger) with lots of colored plates, pictures, sketches, etc.  I also look at the page count, so I don’t end up with some dinky 40-page book that’s little more than a pamphlet.  I prefer hardback if I can get them, but some books don’t come in that format or the price difference is significant enough to just get a paperback.  As long as the book is still a good size, paperback is fine.  While I look for bargains, I do want to buy the best book I can since I view them as an investment in my “continuing education.”  I see them as a resource I’ll use for decades.

I also try to find interior images of the books by doing an image search on Google.  Especially with older books, there won’t be a preview or photographs of the interiors on Amazon, but an eBay seller or a book reviewer might have some shots of the actual book.  I will also look at reviews, which will often mention the quality of the plates, paper, etc.  There is almost always one picture snob who doesn’t like the quality of the plates, so I only pay attention if several people make a note of poor reproductions or a large percentage of black & white images.

As far as the subject, I like to find books on Impressionism, post-impressionism, individual artists (especially ones who paint in a style I like and are new to me), museum collections, exhibitions on artists or styles I like, and I especially love books that show an artist’s process, their lesser-known works, sketches, letters, techniques, and supplies.  I also like instruction books that are in styles I admire and want to study.  I always enjoy reading about different approaches and supplies used by a variety of artists.  I have learned so much from all of my “teachers.”

art books | where I look

This answer is the same as when people ask me where I find things for my home – everywhere.  I have found art books at thrift stores, consignment shops, yard sales, markets, antique stores, used book stores, online, library sales, and at my local Barnes & Noble.  I’ve even picked up a few books at Costco.  Estate sales and auctions are another great place to find collections of used books, but I haven’t made it to either lately.  I have purchased the majority of my art books in used condition online from either Amazon, eBay, Thriftbooks, or AbeBooks.  Thriftbooks might be my favorite because I have found so many wonderful book bargains and I earn free books when I make purchases.  If you use THIS link, we both get a free book credit when you spend $30 or more.  It can be hit or miss, though, as far as what books they have in stock.  I always shop around at those four places at least to try to find the best bargain, so I can stretch my book budget.  A book that’s hundreds of dollars on one site could be $20 on another.  The pricing of used books is a bit arbitrary and it definitely fluctuates.  If a book is far more than I want to pay (some are just silly prices), then I’ll add it to my wish list and watch.  Eventually, reasonable alternatives surface at some point.

I almost prefer buying used books instead of new ones when that’s an option.  I have many former public & school library books and books treasures tucked inside like newspaper clippings about the artist, or gallery exhibition pamphlets.

I will peel off stickers and remove most plastic book covers, but I will keep the card envelopes from old library books and other extras.   I love the ex libris plates from people all over the world and inscriptions marking a special occasion – Christmas, a birthday, a thank you.   I really never know what I will find!

(I think it’s funny that WaPo gave a book on Monet at Giverny for attending the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Las Vegas.   That gets a shoulder shrug from me.)

Anyway, I go through a little routine when I get a used book.  I flip through it to see if anything was added by former owners, remove stickers and residue, wipe down the jacket if it feels dirty (or remove it if it’s in poor condition), and then add my ex libris embossed book stamp to the first page.  (I have THIS ONE.)  Then, it’s ready to go to my reading pile or shelved to read later.

Here is a video tour of my most recent Thriftbooks haul.  I got all of these books for $48!

art books | the search

Finding great art books isn’t as easy as you might guess.  Once you have the ones that are readily available and show up in all of the “suggested” search results, You have to start delving a little deeper.  I find many great books going down Internet search rabbit holes.  I’ll also find new-to-me artists to search for when I look at art books I already own.  If I find a piece of work I love, I’ll look up the artist to see if there are any books on their other works.

I’ll also swap the order of search results so I’m not just getting ads or the same “recommended” books at the top.  I’ll look at them by publish date from newest to oldest or by rating.  Some of my favorite search terms are impressionism, impressionist, American impressionist, post-impressionist, impressionist landscape, women impressionists, impressionist still life, and I’ll also search individual artist names, which often leads me to more artists I’d like to learn about.  I also run searches in different places and often find different books to add to my wish list.

Of course, sitting on the floor of a great used book store is the best because you often find books that you didn’t even know you wanted until you saw them.  That is how I learned about Fairfield Porter, Edmund Tarbell, and Childe Hassam.

art books | my library & wish list

I think it’s hard for anyone to say, “These are the best art books.”  Art is so subjective and it really depends on what you like and what you want to learn.  I get butterflies about some art books and then can’t put down others fast enough.  I just know what I’m drawn to, although that is expanding as I’m appreciating styles that aren’t as obvious to me such as abstract expressionism.  I reference and read my books often as a way to learn more about art and to grow as an artist and creative.  I also just love having a collection of beautiful books!  I find them to be comforting and endlessly inspirational.  I took some time last week to catalog all of the art books I own.  You can find a complete, updated, and organized list of all of my art books in my Amazon Store HERE.  I use Amazon to keep an organized list of what I have since I can share it with others, sort it, and check it from my phone when I’m out shopping and find interesting books.  I have bought the same book twice, so now I reference my list to make sure I don’t already have it.

I also keep my wish list for books I want on Amazon since it’s easy to add to, organize, and reference.  I certainly don’t buy all of my books on Amazon, though.  It’s just one of the places I look.  When I buy a book, I’ll move it from my wish list to my Art Book Idea List that shows all of the books I own.  I do get rid of a few books each year if I feel like I’ve outgrown them or if I have books that better cover that artist or topic.  That is a part of the curation process.  You start by casting a wide net and then you refine the search, opting for quality over quantity.  But, every time I feel like I might have found “all of the good ones”, I come across a few more.

When I look through my books, I use THESE white Post-It flags to mark the pages and I recently was delighted to discover book darts!  They were actually in a used book I purchased, so I looked them up and bought a couple of tins for myself.

I have been asked to do book reviews on specific artists and topics, so I will do that in the future, but I thought I would put the full list out there for those who are interested.  I’ll also do the same for my decorating & design books. I have a bunch listed, but not all of them, and they aren’t sorted.

I hope you’ve enjoyed a tour of the art books in my studio library as well as my methods for collecting them.  Even if art books aren’t your thing, this post might give you some ideas of how to curate a collection of what is your thing.

You can find book reviews and my books-of-the-month list from 2020 HERE.

art books

art books – individual artists

art books – instruction