The Art Book

Published on behalf of The Association of Art Historians

Edited by:
Sue Ward and Gillian Whiteley

Print ISSN: 1368-6267
Online ISSN: 1467-8357
Frequency: Quarterly
Current Volume: 16 / 2009

TopAuthor Guidelines

ASSOCIATION OF ART HISTORIANS
The Art Book is an Association of Art Historians' publication, published jointly with Blackwell Publishers.

The Art Book's wide audience presents a particular challenge to its contributors, who need to write with such a varied readership in mind: to write in a way which balances the provision of information with an assumption of a level of prior knowledge; the needs of the generally interested, with those of the specialist. Contributors to The Art Book write in a direct and accessible language, minimising jargon and obscure technical terms. We offer consistent quality of writing, while encouraging diversity and variety in author and reviewer styles, consistent with the diversity of our audience and the variety of works being reviewed.

Reviews are written to help readers understand the aims of the publication or group of publications. The reviewer's critique is important, but The Art Book reviewers are encouraged to make sure that this does not obscure the main features of the publication or the author's own argument. The purpose and content of the publication needs to be made clear, and, in the case of a gallery or exhibition catalogue or a publication associated with an event, some sense of the exhibition or event itself and its contribution to the critical 'literature' on the subject or theme should be included. The intended audience for the publication must be clear from the review.

Guidelines for Reviewers
• Agree review or article with the Executive Editor
• Agree type of contribution, word length and copy date
• Provide full details of publication at the heading of the text: including date of publication and price
• Submit electronically, in Microsoft Word-compatible format (on disk or email) to the Executive Editor
• Submit by the agreed copy date (please advise immediately if there is any likely delay)

Please make sure that you include at the end of your review your name, your affiliation, and a word count.

All reviews and articles for The Art Book must be accompanied by a signed Electronic Licence Form (ELF).

Authors will be required to assign copyright/ electronic licence in their paper to The Art Book. Copyright assignment is a condition of publication and papers will not be passed to the publisher for production unless copyright has been assigned. Submit the Electronic Licence Form (ELF) declaration as hard copy ASAP after submitting text. ELFS sent electronically, and as faxes are not acceptable.
(Papers subject to government or Crown copyright are exempt from this requirement).

The Honorary Editor and Executive Editor reserve the right to edit texts received. Any substantial changes will only be made in consultation with authors. The Honorary Editor and Executive Editor reserve the right not to publish material submitted. Material may be held over for later publication. While unsolicited material may be submitted, contributors are advised to discuss contributions in advance with the Executive Editor. Contributions not following these guidelines will not be accepted. Writers are not financially recompensed for their contribution.

Copy dates are
February, Issue 1 : Copy date 24th August
May, Issue 2 : 20th November
August, Issue 3 : 26th February
November, Issue 4 : 28th May

Bibliographic details should preface every review and should be in the following format:-

THE ARTIST AND THE BRIDGE 1700-1920
JOHN SWEETMAN
Ashgate Publishing 2000 £25.00 $43.95
240pp 16 col / 117mono illus
ISBN 0-7456-00130
US and or UK distributor if applicable

Use Capitals, and bold type as above
………………………………………………………………………………..

All reviews have to be submitted electronically so it is very important that they are in a format that can be read. Reviews submitted to The Art Book should be presented in the following format, accompanied by a print out of the text as it appears in the electronic version. Files should be saved in Rich Text Format and given the suffix .rtf

To save in Rich Text Format when using any version of Microsoft Word, with the review document open, go to the File menu and select 'Save as'. In the
'Save file as type' box, scroll down to find 'Rich Text Format' and select. Replace the .doc suffix on the file name with .rtf (or add .rtf if there is no suffix) and click on 'Save'. Word will convert the file to Rich Text Format. Users of other word processing packages (e.g. Word Perfect) will also be able to save in RTF - please consult your program's Help facility or manual. You may receive a warning to the effect that 'formatting may be lost upon conversion', but do not worry about this.
………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Reviewers are identified at the foot of the review by name (no title), and institutional affiliation (e.g. Carol Richardson Open University), or a simple description (e.g. Mark Staff Brandl Artist and writer, Switzerland). Authors of Feature articles have a by-line under the title, and a short description of affiliation and expertise at the end. Please include such a description - of approximately 10-12 words - with your article or feature.

Editing conventions:
UK English spelling conventions
Italics for book titles and titles of works of art
No emphasis (such as italics, bold, capitals or underlining)
Enclose short quotes in single inverted commas
Paragraphs shown with indented first line (no line space)
References in text to be kept to a minimum, endnotes to be clearly numbered using superscript, or numbers in brackets (normally Reviews and Books in Brief do not include endnotes)
Footnotes at the end of the text, using standard conventions e.g.: M.Baxandall, The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1980, pp.20-1; Charles A. Whitney, 'The skies of Vincent van Gogh', Art History, Vol.9, no.3, September, 1986 pp.355-6

Review articles / Reviews / Books in Brief /Features, Issues and Comment Education /Exhibitions, Galleries and Museums

Review Feature Articles
Review Articles are usually written around a number of titles on related topics or themes to present their scope, context and current importance to the reader. It provides a view of the works discussed in context, opening up the discussion to reflect wider issues and current debates. Review Articles are a maximum of 1,500-1,800 words in length, and include one or two illustrations. Review Articles may include a presentation of the historiography, contemporary bibliography and broader theoretical considerations and takes the reader beyond a critique of one author's book and, in straightforward and readable prose, exposes new connections and ways of thinking. Review Articles are presented under a title/headline, with a by-line for the author.
Please submit a title for your piece.

Reviews
Reviews normally focus on a single title between 800-1000 words, and sometimes includes an illustration - very occasionally two. The review needs to provide a clear outline of the author's position and argument, a commentary on the scope and range of material covered in the book, an indication of the audience, readership and market for which the book was written and a critical evaluation of the book's contribution to the particular area of study. Architecture and Design, Photography and Screen Studies reviews fall within this section of the magazine. The field of Screen Studies incorporates anything to do with the moving image, including surveys or studies of specific films, film genres, the work of particular directors/producers, history/theory and criticism of cinema and a range of art practices related to film and video. Besides the generic concerns and approaches to reviewing books in other fields, where appropriate, reviewers might also want to consider specific historical and/or contemporary aspects of the cinematic experience such as spectatorship, kinaesthetic approaches and the relationship of film/video to other media and formats.

Books and Catalogues in Brief
Books in Brief are no more than 300-500 words, and reflect the scope of the publication, a sense of the audience and purpose of the book, with a short, sharp, evaluative comment. The aim of the Books in Brief section is to provide some review coverage of the very great numbers of volumes published in the field, and allow the magazine's readership to benefit from further information and focused commentary. This section provides a valuable guide to librarians and educators on what value such a volume would add to the library stock or a bibliography for a course. Similarly it provides guidance to booksellers. A further … in brief heading might be used where a number of non-book publications are given in-brief treatment.

Exhibitions, Galleries and Museums
Exhibitions, Galleries and Museums is a section which reflects the importance of the display and presentation of the visual arts. A lead article or focused interview, written for the non-specialist, may relate to a new exhibition, an aspect of gallery or museum policy - which includes galleries overseas. Exhibitions, Galleries and Museums also includes reviews of exhibition catalogues, and catalogues of permanent holdings, including new media presentations such as internet sites and CD-Roms. Reviews for exhibition catalogues should be 800-1000 words.

Perspectives, Interviews, Issues
Perspectives, Interviews, Issues include a range of presentations - sometimes an interview with a notable personality in the art and art history world: a writer, a curator, the creator of an exhibition or a notable conference; sometimes an article about an issue of contemporary concern - which might include changes in the art market, aspects of publishing or bookselling, a view of a major event in the bookseller's year, such as the Frankfurt Book Fair. Length to be arranged with the Editor usually no more than 1500 words.

Education
Education concentrates on matters to do with education at all levels and institutional contexts. It usually carries a lead article on some aspect of current education policy or practice, written mainly to inform the non-specialist. While the majority of such articles will derive from UK education, articles on education in the arts elsewhere are welcome. Education also includes reviews of titles of specific value in teaching, which might include book series, with the reviewer's focus particularly on their value to teachers.

Published quarterly, The Art Book provides accessible and critical reviews of new publications on all aspects of the visual arts, and commentary on relevant current issues, such as education, art exhibitions, galleries and museums. The magazine is designed for an audience of book buyers and booksellers; of library users and librarians; and for an audience of those engaged with the visual arts, including professionals (teachers, students, scholars, museum and gallery curators) and amateurs. Its contributors range from specialists in the field to those with a broader interest in the arts.
The Art Book specialises in books on the visual arts: contemporary and historical; fine and applied. It covers the full range of media: painting, sculpture, architecture and design, photography, artists' books and digital media. It includes a variety of publishing media: print, websites and cd-roms. Reviews of major exhibition catalogues is a feature exclusive to The Art Book.

If you would like to write for The Art Book - or would like to contribute an article or a feature - please contact Sue Ward, the Executive Editor with information about you, your interests and expertise. It would be helpful if you could submit a sample of your writing. You will be warmly welcomed to our growing list of reviewers and authors.

Executive Editor: Sue Ward

Email: ed-exec-theartbook@aah.org.uk