Review: Grove Art Online
Sunday October 1, 2006
Once upon a time, I wrote a glowing review of Grove Art Online, a website that contains the full text of The Grove Dictionary of Art, a 34-volume, 45,000 article reference set you'd need two strong people with an appliance dolly to move. At the time, I found the site "fabulous." Years later, I find it indispensable and have, in fact, shelled out big (to me) bucks to maintain a subscription. Because Grove continually updates and adds content (such as the entirety of The Oxford Companion to Western Art), it's high time to sing its praises once again. If you've been wondering whether this is worth the money, you are welcome to read my review, sign your library or institution up for a free trial or, if you are an individual like me, take a guided tour of the website.
Remember too: the holiday gift-giving season is nearly upon us, and your favorite art history student has already blown his or her budget on a pile of really expensive books. A generous benefactor could, conceivably, gift a scholar with "34-volumes" in one fell swoop, yes? Please trust me, they'd thank you for, roughly, ever. (Full disclaimer: Grove Art gives me nothing for saying this. No discounts. No kick-backs. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Heck, Grove Art doesn't care if I like its website or not. Grove Art probably wouldn't even let me sit at Grove Art's lunch table with the other popular websites. And yet, I continue to champion this paragon of reference sites because it's that useful.)
Remember too: the holiday gift-giving season is nearly upon us, and your favorite art history student has already blown his or her budget on a pile of really expensive books. A generous benefactor could, conceivably, gift a scholar with "34-volumes" in one fell swoop, yes? Please trust me, they'd thank you for, roughly, ever. (Full disclaimer: Grove Art gives me nothing for saying this. No discounts. No kick-backs. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Heck, Grove Art doesn't care if I like its website or not. Grove Art probably wouldn't even let me sit at Grove Art's lunch table with the other popular websites. And yet, I continue to champion this paragon of reference sites because it's that useful.)
Comments
Your suggestion of a gift is great except that no where can one find an up front quote of the price. How much does it cost in US$? Thank you.
Sorry about that. The subscription price for individuals is $29.95/month, or $295 if one pays for a year in advance. Here is the subscription order form.
Gift subscriptions are available for either one year ($295) or six months ($160). Here is the gift subscription order form.
I just wanted to add support to Shelley’s comments on how vital the Grove Dictionary of Art is as a research tool for students, scholars, and museum professionals. My biggest complaint with the dictionary is that you useally come across something interesting that disctracts you from your work; you can be assured that the articles are well written. The articles were written by the leading scholars in their respective fields.
“Grove Dictionary of Art Online” is a wonderful resource.