With brilliant scholarship and a wealth of stunning illustrations, American Impressionism provides a vivid summary of the entire art movement, starting with its roots in earlier American art and its relationship to French Impressionsim. The first edition was quickly recognized as the most authoritative and penetrating account of the movement, which has continued to grow in poularity since the books debut. For this new edition, which features 25 additional illustrations, Professor Gerdts has added a fascinating new chapter on Impressionist themes. The volume also includes a thoroughly updated bibliography.

American Impressionism tells how the movement progressed rom an avant-garde aesthetic assaulted by critics up to its years of triumph and how the movement developed in diverse ways throughou the country including regional Impressionism in the South, Midwest, and West. All of the master works are here, from Childe Hassams sun-drenched gardens to John Twachtmans snow-silenced landscapes, from Edmund Tarbells coolly elegant ladies in dim, luxurious interiors to Frederick Friesekes sun-dappled nudes.

William H. Gerdts is professor emeritus of art history at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.