21st Century Political Science: A Reference Handbook, Volume 1

This volume, meant to be the first in a series of catalogues documenting the Barnes Foundation's entire holdings, is the first major survey of the Barnes Collection since Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation: Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Early Modern (CH, Oct'93, 31-0715). Wattenmaker, a former student and instructor at the Barnes Foundation and former director of the Archives of American Art, is more than qualified to complete such a scholarly work. Beginning the catalogue with an essay on Barnes himself, Wattenmaker apparently felt compelled to defend the reputation of this irascible and sometimes antagonistic individual by deploying extensive quotations (from hitherto inaccessible archival documentation) that shed light on Barnes's motives. Next are in-depth essays on William J. Glackens, Alfred Maurer, and others who have major works in the Barnes Foundation. The final section, "Additional Works by American Artists," is organized alphabetically. Each image is accompanied by extensive scholarly footnotes. The photographs are richly textured. The few photographs of the paintings hanging in situ provide a teasing glimpse into the experience of the visitor to Merion, Pennsylvania, the original home of this collection (soon to be closed to the public, in preparation for the museum's move to a new building in Philadelphia). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty. Reviewed by K. Mason.