Leonardo

278 Books would be much better if amateurs confined themselves to those arts or crafts that of their nature have always been practised far from academies and studios. For this reason, I welcome Ritchie’s manual on scrimshaw, an essentially popular art that whiled away the time of so many becalmed sailors and provided an occupation for Eskimos during the long dark winters. Scrimshaw is the art of engraving on a hard surface and probably takes its name from some eponymous whaleman. The traditional materials are marine ivory, whalebone, shells and even large birds’ eggs. But any kind of ivory or, less ideally, horn or bone can be used. Icannot endorse Ritchie’s suggestion that, failing natural materials, Plexiglas makes a good substitute, as I think that plastics have a kind of built-in nastiness that makes them unworthy of the time and trouble required. The recent important exhibition of Eskimo art in London will no doubt have helped to renew interest in this craft, so the book is well timed. It is generously illustrated with reproductions of collectors ’ pieces and photographs or line drawings of every process involved. Ritchie gives foolproof advice on tools, techniques and suppliers and one hopes that his enthusiasm will encourage a whole new generation of scrimshoners. A Collector’s Guide to Prints and Printmakers, from Diirer to Picasso. F. Salamon. Thames and Hudson, London, 1972. 303 pp., illus. E5.50. Reviewed by: CarsonI. A. Ritchie* The mere weight of this book conveys a monumental impression that subsequent reading of the text is unlikely to dispel. Besides being encyclopaedic , the author is extremely practical. He begins straight away with essential topics: what constitutes an original print, the techniques of printmaking, paper, watermarks, states, signatures, forgeries, quality, rarity, condition, restoration, and conservation . A vocabulary of the terms used by cataloguers and collectors is added, with a chrestomathy of numerous descriptions of prints taken from catalogues raisonne‘s. The second half of the book deals with the changing values of prints, both aesthetic and monetary. In a useful digression, the author discusses drawings and their values. A guide to the salesroom and graphic accounts of the most prominent print collectors of the past close the work. After reading this book, no one need buy prints in the wrong state, at the wrong price or for the wrong reasons. The illustrations, which are superbly reproduced, will serve as a touchstone for the collector. They arealso a thesis onthe European taste in prints. The author disarmingly admits to a fondness for Rembrandt, Diirer, Mantegna, and Picasso. The high value that he places on comparatively recent prints, those of the last hundred years or so, can be seen from the number of * 6 LeeTerrace,Blackheath,London,S.E.3,England. eighteenth-century engravers whom he omits from the illustrations. There are few concessions to the theme collector-only one sporting print, by Samuel Howitt, is illustrated-and none to the small collector . A Mannerist such as Giles Sadeler, whose prints can still be bought at modest prices, is not even mentioned by name. Perhaps the moral of this book is that only the very best is worth collecting. Harsh doctrine this but one that may well save the collector a lot of money in the long run. BOOKS RECEIVED Aesthetics,H. Osborne,ed., OxfordUniv.Press,London, 1973, 186pp., 75p. The Architect and the Computer, B. Auger, Pall Mall Press, London, 1972, 135pp., illus., E3.50. Art and Belief, D. W. Bolam and J. L. Henderson, Schocken Books, New York., 1970, 220 pp., illus., $5.95. Art &Language, German-English Edition, T. Atkinson, D. Bainbridge, M. Baldwin, H. Hurrel, J. Kosuth, P. Maenz and Gerd de Vries, eds., DuMont-International , Koln, 1972,350 pp., DM 28. Art and Science, D. Rieser, StudioVistaIvan Nostrand Reinhold, London, 1972, 96 pp., illus., 95p. Art Education:An International Survey, Unesco, Paris, 1972, 109pp., illus., $6.50, E1.95, 26F. The Art o f Jewelry, G. Hughes, Studio Vista, London, 1972, 248 pp., illus., E8.00. Art, Perception and Reality, E. H. Gombrich, J. Hochberg, M. Black, Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, London, 1973, 133pp., illus., E3.00. Art without Boundaries: 1950-70, G. Woods, P. Thompson...