The J. Paul Getty Museum Handbook of the Antiquities Collection: Revised Edition

See the expanded Amazon description above for details on the extensive Getty CollectionI find handbooks very helpful and have a moderate number.The better handbook is well organised, well written and illustrated with high quality colour photos. This Getty handbook is an excellent one.I have never been to the Getty collection but have seen the British Museum collection on a number ofoccassionswhen working in BritainTo make Antiquities interesting you need high quality photographyThis helps bring out the shape and form of what you are looking at. it also helps you appreciate the skill of the craftsman who formed the objectIt can help give a sense of volume to a vase orIt is all important in looking at black or red figured dishes or vessels of various formsWell lit sculpture can be a revelation-- true it beep ends on how well the sculpture's surface interacts with the light , but when the two work together one gets a real feeling for three dimensionality along with emotion and various other featuresCareful photography can change a small jewel into a lesson in craftsmanship and imaginationThe Getty has many first rate objectsNot all are easy to photograph well but a large number of objects are outstandingII have not listed my favourites but there a number-- this is a collection well worth getting to knowThe photo usually takes up a quarter to half a page with a few full page photosThere is about 10-30 lines of text in a double columned page. The text is helpful and well writtenThis is an excellent guidebook. I wish I had one like this when I was going around the British MuseumThis book makes Antiquities user friendlyHighly recommended

The book has plenty of excellent photographs and lucid, scholarly essays.