Barron's AP Art History with CD-ROM (Barron's Ap Art History (Book & CD-Rom)),   ISBN:9780764194634

Customer Rating: 

I teach AP Art History and have read both of the new competing AP Art History Review books. I guess I expected this to be better than the one that came out about a year before this one (created by the teachers & published by REA) since this one carries the well known Barron's brand. I found that each were helpful but I didn't see this as superior to the other. Both included information that clarified some things that are a bit obtuse in the textbooks. It would be impossible for either of them to replace all the info in the textbooks but both are helpful supplements. They are also better than the previous "workbooks" that were available which just asked questions for the students to fill in.
AP Art History SOUNDS like it would be one of the easier AP courses but it has double the content of most others because it covers TWO college semester courses (of course the reward of a high score is double the college credit in most schools!). It is the sheer volume of new information that overwhelms students (and frankly teachers) so anything that summarizes and clarifies is helpful.

Customer Rating: 

This book was very helpful as I prepared for my Pre-Admissions Content Test for Art EC-12. It is a very good review of Art History.

Customer Rating: 

With only 1 week to go until the AP Art History exam, I found myself begin to panic. I had bought this book a month prior to the exam, but it had been sitting in my room, collecting dust. I thought that I would get around to reading it eventually, but thanks to my wonderful procrastination skills, I didn't crack open the spine until a week before the test.

All I have to say now is, thank you, Barron's, for publishing an AP Art History review book that is concise yet lengthy enough to help one do well on the test. I read the book in about a 3-4 day span, crammed all the information into my head, took the test, and came out feeling like I had done remarkably well for using just this book as my only study aid. The Barron's' book will tell you everything you need to know, and just the right amount of it, too. (extra note: It would be wisest NOT to do what I did and wait until a week to study for the test, but I'm sure you know that already.)

Unlike the REA Art History book, this book actually has thumbnail images of all of the art, which makes it a lot easier to study. Granted, thumbnails can never serve as substitutions for the real-life thing, which is why this book would be better-suited to those who have taken a 1-year art history survey course with a comprehensive, full-color textbook.

That aside, however, this would be the ideal book for anyone who wants to do well on the AP test itself. Whether you start studying months in advance, or week like I did, you should be able to gain the full benefit out of this book. The practice tests were also good and very close to the actual test itself.

EDIT: I received a score of 4 on the exam, which was in large part thanks to the help of this book.

Customer Rating: 

Self-studying AP Art History, I find that Barron's does a good job at summarizing the main artistic themes and styles of each era. The book is organized chronologically, with the exception of non-Western art, which are grouped together at the end. This makes it a great companion to Gardner's Art Through the Ages (currently reading) for recapping/quizzing purposes after every chapter.

But do not try to study for the exam from this book alone, as no black-and-white book with thumbnail pictures can possibly allow you to identify the visual features of art that correspond to its time frame, which in my opinion is more important than memorizing all of the pictures in any art history textbook.

I would recommend this book as review for anyone who already is in an AP Art History course or is already self-studying from a more comprehensive text.

Customer Rating: 

This is the first AP book that I have used, so I can't compare it to others. I think that it is very good at explaining the format of the AP exam and the pracice questions that it gives are similar to those on the exam. The questiosn are helpful because some of the AP questions can be tricky. It also gives examples of AP exam essays- this is nice because it shows what you should be including in your essays. I would recommend this book to others because it explains what the AP exam will be like and it includes different areas and cultures of art.