The text of this beautiful and generally excellent book is, as others have noted, outstanding in both its biographical coverage and its critical analysis of Caravaggio's major works--an all too rare combination in this field. Beyond presenting a thorough account of the artist's life and explicating concisely but acutely many of his paintings, however, the book also presents the historical and cultural background in which Caravaggio created those works. It weaves that background into its discussion of his life and paintings with deft economy, which results in a rich but never tedious portrayal of 17th century Roman society, political, philosophical and religious currents, and prominent figures. This in turn greatly augments the effectiveness of the central portrayal of Caravaggio's life and works. It's a splendid, informative and insightful read. Indeed the book's only defect, as others have also observed, is the inferior quality of a number of the plates. It is evident that the photos of the paintings are largely if not entirely preexisting ones, and the variation in quality is plain. Color distortion is thankfully fairly minimal at worst, but clarity of image at times suffers. That being said, however, the book remains a masterful and fascinating work that, the occasional dull plate aside, never disappoints.

This is definitely one of the best books, if not the best, ever published on the astounding work of this controversial artist. Design and content deserve highest praise. Anyone wanting to find out in depth what this painter was all about need go no furhter.

I would have loved to have given this impressive book five stars, but I couldn't. Although the printing quality is outstanding, some of the reproductions of the paintings are definitely not. Especially several enlarged details are inexcusably blurry and unsharp. That has nothing to do with the printing process, but the inferior material used in the prepress process. It is obvious that scans that were either unsharp to start out with or of insufficient resolution were blown up too much, resulting in blurry reproduction. What's the use of showing detail when you can't really see it? In a volume of this magnitude one would expect to actually see the brush strokes in enlarged detail.

Still, this book is a gem to possess and a definite "must" for any art enthusiast. The various panitings are discussed in detail, always aimed at offering a deeper understanding of Caravaggio's intentions and masterly style. In addition, the detailed information about his character and life make for a very interesting read indeed. Perhaps never more than in Caravaggio's case is it true that "you cannot take the artist out of his work". His, for the times, highly unconventional, roughish, perhaps even revolutionary and certainly brave way of depicting reality is a revelation. To recognize his insistence on combining ethereal, mostly religious themes with down-to-earth realism is captivating. Nowhere else will you find a painting of shepherds with dirty feet and worn garments keeling in front of the Virgin and Child.

This is, in spite of its minor shortcomings, a jewel of a book, very readable and visually impressive.

Good images, text as almost usually is addressed to people who have art into their interests, as a cultural event, but is not enough for painters who are looking at more specific qualities, techniques, materials, painting analysis from different points of view, etc.. Sorry, but I'm a painter, if you are not, I recommend it

the quality of the research and the color of the paintings are outstanding.
Also the CD-ROM has an unbelievable amount of information on the artist's
works and their provenance.
Dr.John T. Spike's 20 years of research is shared with the reader and is so readable and engaging.

The reproductions are excellent. The binding is fine and the cover handsome. The writing is solid academically. I would have liked the book to have had more information on the artist and his life. Much is left to be done in the study of Caravaggio. His life still seems to be quite mysterious. His probable use of optics and mirrors in his work is touched on and needs further exploration. This book provides a good introduction to Caravaggio and his paintings in a handsome package.