Down by half a star only for a style preference (more people than I care for, ;)), but when dealing with history, there is what there is. The book is good quality, with heavy pages, which unfortunately result in a heavy book to look through but it's worth it. It would be lovely even larger to show off the art inside.

This really is a book of art. Almost every page is a picture of a work of art. Aside from short introductory paragraphs about dog painting in the different historical periods, the text is largely limited to captions and annotations about the art itself, and the preface and forward.

The cherry on this book is the index. Having encountered reference works that lack one, I appreciate seeing the highly useful publication tool. ( )