YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS: The Domenichino Affair: Novelty, Imitation, and Theft in Seventeenth-Century Rome by Elizabeth Cropper. 266 pp.; 8 5/8 x 11 1/8; Coda; Notes; Bibliography; Index. $50.00 Hardcover. In this beautifully made book, author Elizabeth Cropper, Dean at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., presents a scholarly analysis of the “Domenichino Affair”, the accusation by his rival Giovanni Lanfranco that Domenichino had “stolen” the idea for his “The Last Communion of Saint Jerome” from Agostino Carracci. Explores the knotty problems of imitation, emulation, and plagiarism as it applies to art. Engrossing. *****
Myths and Legends: National Gallery Pocket Guide by Mari Griffith. 80 pp.; 4 ¾ x 8 5/8; 75 Color Illus.; Appendices; Glossary. $12.00 Softcover. The latest in their series of Pocket Guides, Myths and Legends helps the viewer in discovering the inspiration behind some of National Gallery, London’s masterpieces derived from Greek and Roman mythology. Concise, lightweight, and pocketsize, a great gift for the traveling art-lover. ****

WM.B. EERDMANS PUBL.: The Next Generation: Contemporary Expressions of Faith by Patricia C. Pongracz and Wayne Roosa. 205 pp.; 10 3/8 x 9 3/8; Color Illus.; Checklist of Exhibition. $60.00 Hardcover. The Next Generation presents a selected overview of some forty-four North American artists  — painters, sculptors, photographers — currently using biblical themes. Published to coincide with an exhibition of the same name recently held at the Museum of Biblical Art in NYC. ***

DOUGLAS & McINTYRE: David Milne Watercolours: Painting Toward the Light by Katharine Lochnan. 11 3/8 x 9 ¾; B/W & Color Illus.; Chronology; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index. $50.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction with an exhibition currently at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC (thru Jan 29), David Milne Watercolours presents an overview of the life and work of one of Canada’s leading modernists in the watercolor medium. Handsomely produced. ****

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS: Hesse: Beyond Castle Doors, A Princely German Collection by Markus Miller and Penelope Hunter-Stiebel. 224 pp.; 9 x 12; 260 Color Illus.; Bibliography. $40.00 Hardcover. A history as well as a glimpse into its treasures, Beyond Castle Doors gives a behind-the-scenes look into the rare art and artifacts of an old and noble German family. Lavishly illustrated with excellent reproductions, this catalogue accompanies an exhibition of the Hesse holdings at the Portland Art Museum. *****
Domains of Wonder: Selected Masterworks of Indian Painting by B.N. Goswamy and Caron Smith. 304 pp.; 10 ½ x 10 ½; 127 Color Illus.; Bibliography; Glossary. $40.00 Softcover. Published for the San Diego Museum of Art (from whose over 1,450 works this overview of Indian art has been selected) on the occasion of an exhibit (thru Jan 22, ’06), this beautifully produced catalogue features a wide range of art that dates from 1300 to 1900. These never-before-published illustrations offer a cross-section of Indian works that will be of interest to scholar and artlover alike. *****
By Native Hands: Woven Treasures from the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art by Stephen W. Cook, et al. 240 pp.; 10 x 10; 230 Illus., 210 in Color; Appendices; Index. $29.95 Softcover. Lavishly illustrated and handsomely produced, By Native Hands showcases the extensive holdings of Native American artifacts in the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art (Laurel, Miss). Started as whim by Catherine Marshall Gardiner, the book is a tribute to her foresight and eye for quality. ****
Frank Okada: The Shape of Elegance by Kazuko Nakane. 80 pp.; 9 x 10; 52 Illus., 40 in Color; Bibliography; Biographical Note; Selected Public Collections; Checklist of Exhibition. $22.50 Softcover. Published to accompany an exhibit currently at the Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA (thru Jan 8, ’06), The Shape of Elegance offers an overview of the life and work of Frank Okada, a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest. Depending on your concept of “elegance”, you will be either delighted or disappointed in the many reproductions the volume offers. ***

JO-AN PICTURES LTD: Terence Coyle: A Retrospective, at 80: Selected Works from 1955 to 2005 by Ross L. Peacock w/Notes by the artist. 111 pp.; 11 x 9; Color Illus. $39.00 Softcover. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the National Arts Club, NYC (thru Jan 3), A Retrospective, at 80 offers up a delightfully charming overview of Terence Coyle, a painting instructor at the Art Students League of New York since 1974. ****

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS: The Downtown Book: The New York Art Scene 1974-1984 (Ed.) Marvin J. Taylor. 203 pp.; 8 x 8; 156 Illus., 58 in Color; Selected Bibliography; Filmography; Discography; Index. $29.95 Hardcover. Everything you want to know — and, perhaps, a good deal that you don’t — about the personalities, art, and lifestyles of those who added their luster to the postmodern NYC art scene. Published to coincide with an exhibition scheduled for the Grey Art Gallery and Fales Library at NYU (Jan 10-Apr 1, ’06), The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh (May 20-Sep 3, ’06) and the Austin Museum of Art, Austin (Nov 11-Jan 28, ’07). ***

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS: Art of Engagement: Visual Politics in California and Beyond by Peter Selz and Susan Landauer. 320 pp.; 8 ½ x 10; 200 Illus., 120 in Color; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index. $29.95 Softcover. Published to coincide with an exhibition of the same name at Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles, Art of Engagement offers up a pot-pourri of contemporary and modern art by a large roster of artists, all involved in such social and political subjects as free speech, racial and gender politics, labor activism, and eco-environmental issues. A testament to the move of art from aesthetics to politics. ***

ABRAMS: Photography Reborn: Image Making in the Digital Era by Jonathan Lipkin. 128 pp.; 7 ¾; 10; 83 Color Illus.; Appendix; Index. $24.95 Softcover. The latest addition to Abrams’ “Studio Series”, Photography Reborn brings us up to date on the latest in digital media. Startling for dinosaurs such as me, but surely a sign of the times. ****

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS: Roy Lichtenstein: American Indian Encounters by Gail Stavitsky and Twig Johnson. 90 pp.; 8 ½ x 11; 55 Illus., 40 in Color; Exhibition Checklist; Appendix. $24.95 Softcover. Publishing in conjunction with a traveling exhibition currently at the Montclair Art Museum, NJ (thru Jan 8), American Indian Encounters offers up a selection of Lichtenstein’s glibly simplistic renditions of Native-American imagery that he claims is meant to “erase the meaning of the originals.” How this gibes with what the publicity for the book/exhibit describes as his “deep [sic] appreciation for the objects and images of American Indian culture” escapes this reader. **

FIREFLY BOOKS LTD.: Clarence Gagnon: An Introduction to His Life and Art by Anne Newlands. 64 pp.; 9 1/8 x 9 1/8; 50 Illus., 40 in Color; Selected Sources and Further Reading; Index. $16.95 Softcover. This handsome little catalogue offers up a delightful pot-pourri of the works of Clarence Gagnon, a Quebec artist. Printmaker and painter, Gagnon is one of Canada’s most widely recognized and appreciated artists. ****