Books About Art

This assortment of study guides focuses on the arts, from cinema to cuisine. Read on to explore Aristotle’s Poetics, which analyzes the nature and uses of poetry; An Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski, a manual for actors based on the author’s work and teachings at the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia; and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which chronicles the art of fine dining.

Publication year 2024

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery

Tags History: World, Humor, Arts / Culture, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)


Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Environment

Tags Food, Agriculture, Social Justice, Science / Nature, Arts / Culture

One Size Fits None: A Farm Girl’s Search for the Promise of Regenerative Agriculture is a 2019 book on how the American food production system must move beyond conventional and sustainable farming to embrace regenerative farming strategies tailored to individual environments. Anderson, who grew up on a conventional ranch outside of Bison, South Dakota, has firsthand knowledge of US conventional farming strategies. As a young journalist for the Tri-State Neighbor newspaper, she started off wanting... Read One Size Fits None Summary


Publication year 1859

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation

Tags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Arts / Culture, History: European, British Literature, Victorian Period, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

On Liberty is a philosophical essay on ethics, society, and politics published in 1859 by the English philosopher John Stuart Mill. His work on the subject matter extended back several years, through an illustrious career as a politician and philosopher. Mill’s ideas center on the concept of utilitarianism, which emphasizes efficiency and collective well-being. The book remains in print in the 21st century.SummaryOn Liberty is divided into five chapters: an introduction; “On the liberty of... Read On Liberty Summary


Publication year 1977

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Arts / Culture, Philosophy, History: World, Business / Economics, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Sociology, Literary Criticism, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

On Photography is a 1977 collection of seven essays by American scholar, activist, and philosopher Susan Sontag. The essays were published in the New York Review of Books from 1973 to 1977 before publication in a single volume. Sontag explores the history of photography and its relationship to reality, the fine arts, and sociopolitical power structures. Individual essays explore these various relationships between photography and the world through a different lens before the culminating exploration... Read On Photography Summary


Publication year 100

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Beauty

Tags Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Ancient Greece, Italian Literature

On the Sublime is a treatise on aesthetics and literary criticism originally written in Greek between the first and third centuries AD. The author is not definitively known, but the text is typically credited with the name Longinus. Although the work has come to be known as On the Sublime in English, its subject is advice to writers on “the essentials of a noble and impressive style.” For this reason, G. M. A. Grube translates... Read On the Sublime Summary


Publication year 2000

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Identity: Language

Tags Arts / Culture, Self Help, Biography

Stephen King’s 2000 memoir, On Writing, details King’s formation as an author and provides writing advice. The memoir is divided into five sections: “C.V.,” “What Writing Is,” “Toolbox,” “On Writing,” and “On Living.”In “C.V.,” King provides a curriculum vitae describing how he was formed as a writer. He begins in his early childhood and describes his life with his mother, Nellie, and older brother, David. King’s father is not in the picture, and the family... Read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: Politics & Government, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Arts / Culture, History: World, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Social Justice, Science / Nature, Biography


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Immigration / Refugee, Diversity, Race / Racism, American Literature, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Teams, Society: Immigration

Tags Sports, Immigration / Refugee, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1938

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Arts / Culture, Christian literature, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

Published in 1938, Out of the Silent Planet is a science fiction novel by author C. S. Lewis, best known for his bestselling fantasy children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the first book in Lewis’s Space Trilogy, followed by Perelandra (1943) and That Hideous Strength (1945). With Out of the Silent Planet, Lewis sought to write a narrative that differed from contemporary popular science fiction, which he believed promoted harmful ideas like human... Read Out of the Silent Planet Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth

Tags Arts / Culture, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence


Publication year 1934

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Anthropology, Education, Education, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Arts / Culture, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Patterns of Culture, originally published in 1934, is an anthropological text by Ruth Benedict. Translated into 14 languages and with three updated English editions, the book is considered a classic in American anthropology. This study guide uses the most recent, 2005 edition published by Mariner Books, which includes a foreword by Louise Lamphere, a preface by Margaret Mead, and an introduction by Franz Boas, the founding father of cultural anthropology.Benedict popularized the idea of cultural... Read Patterns of Culture Summary


Publication year 1986

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Fathers, Identity: Language, Society: Immigration, Natural World: Objects, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Food

Tags Lyric Poem, Ekphrastic, Free verse, Relationships, Immigration / Refugee, Arts / Culture, Confessional, Asian Literature


Publication year 1991

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty

Tags Arts / Culture


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Arts / Culture, Depression / Suicide, Grief / Death, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction

Picture Us in the Light is a young adult novel written by Kelly Loy Gilbert and published in 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Gilbert is the author of three young adult novels, all of which focus on the young Asian American experience. Picture Us in the Light is written in the first-person perspective of protagonist Danny Cheng, but Gilbert includes flashbacks to China to connect Danny to a past his parents have... Read Picture Us in the Light Summary


Publication year 1928

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Harlem Renaissance, Classic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, Arts / Culture, African American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, Historical Fiction

Jessie Redmon Fauset’s Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral recounts the story of a young Black woman in the 1920s who decides to pass as white. Ostensibly a coming-of-age story, the novel features a complex treatment of racial barriers and gender inequalities. While the trajectory of the novel is straightforward and relatively typical for the bildungsroman—young woman leaves home, discovers herself through a series of obstacles she must overcome, and finally learns how to... Read Plum Bun Summary


Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Language

Tags Philosophy, Narrative / Epic Poem, Arts / Culture, Creative Nonfiction, Ancient Greece, Philosophy, Literary Criticism, Classical Period, Classic Fiction

Poetics, written around 335 BCE, is one of the most important works of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. This guide refers to the 2013 Oxford World’s Classics edition, translated and edited by Anthony Kenny.Poetics sets out to analyze the nature and uses of poetry. To Aristotle, poetry doesn’t just mean verse but theater; the works he examines are mostly plays. While Poetics is one of the most influential works of world philosophy, it’s also incomplete:... Read Poetics Summary


Publication year 1980

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Literary Criticism, Psychology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Philosophy, Psychology, Gender / Feminism, French Literature


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Community, Identity: Race, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Mothers

Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Race / Racism, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, History: World, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1945

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Lyric Poem, Race / Racism, Arts / Culture, African Literature, Politics / Government

“Prayer to the Masks” is a poem by influential Senegalese poet and politician Léopold Sédar Senghor, published in 1945 in his collection Chants d’ombre (Songs of Shadow). Senghor often used his work to illuminate African history and contemplate the consequences of colonialism. Educated in Paris, Senghor was a founding member of the artistic and political movement Négritude, which emphasized pride in African and Black identity and history, which he practiced through his poetry. With “Prayer... Read Prayer to the Masks Summary