What does this category mean? What is its definition? Good Ol’factory(talk) 06:12, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I would define it roughly as comprising those books which are primarily published for the high quality illustrations, even though they may also contain important descriptive, or even analytical prose. I looked for a suitable existing category to fit the included titles, but could not find one. There may well be a better name for them. To clarify, I do not include art books which reproduce paintings or other artworks from elsewhere, but rather those which may be (for example) important scientific monographs, but include illustrations (possibly scientifically important in their own right) created specifically for them, to expand their target market from scientists and scientific institutions to collectors and those who appreciate the art rather than the prose. The production of such works seems to have been largely a 19th century phenomenon, though there are plenty of 20th century (and probably 21st century) examples, and may have been stimulated by the development of lithographic techniques. They are generally characterised by being produced in limited editions, expensive and highly collectible. I am most familiar with those coming under the heading of biological handbooks or monographs, especially ornithological ones, but I am sure they are not limited to that genre. I am not an expert in the area, and the kind of works I refer to may be better defined elsewhere. Maias (talk) 04:45, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for responding; it seems like there is another word for what this is trying to capture, but I'm not sure what it would be either. I'll keep this in mind and maybe propose a rename in the future if anything occurs to me. Good Ol’factory(talk) 08:14, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
