Art In Society will provide enjoyment for readers who are interested in art, but have felt that they cannot understand it without some special knowledge or training. The key to the experience is the recognition that art is essentially the product of our society and reflects its nature. When we understand the beliefs of a society, the pressure of the times, and the experiences of the creator of the particular work under consideration, we can form our own judgements about art. This is the framework of understanding and appreciation that this very readable book provides. The first part introduces some of the many aspects of the nature of art – and explores their interrelationships. A concise historical survey forms the second part. It singles out essential trends of history so that the reader can comprehend the relationships of period and place implied by art-historical labels. The third and major part of the book brings the arts themselves into close historical and social focus. They are interpreted in the light of what we know about each society and its history. The final section of Art In Society provides a glossary of terms. Art In Society is illustrated with more than 550 reproductions (over 200 in color) of paintings and drawings, photographs of sculpture, architecture and artifacts and maps.

This book is a definitive introduction to the classic text, the Arthashastra, the world s first manual on political economy. The 2000-year-old treatise is ascribed to Kautilya, the prime minister of King Chandragupta Maurya, and is as important to Indian thought as Machiavelli s The Prince is to Europe. Arthashastra, or the science of wealth , is a study of economic enterprise, and advises the king entrepreneur on how to create prosperity. Thomas Trautmann s exploration of this seminal work illuminates its underlying economic philosophy and provides invaluable lessons for the modern age.