One of the most distinguished critics of our day has written a history of American art in relation to the times in which it was created. He has shied away from the too pedantic, too factual approach, and written with grace and informality of the trends in American art, and the several hundred artists who have formed them. Details of the periods, the personalities, ingratiating side talk, brighten a very comprehensive survey, a recapitulation of our art from primitives to moderns.