Anatomica: The Exquisite and Unsettling Art of Human Anatomy by Joanna Ebenstein is a richly illustrated and very informative look at the ways the human body has been presented for both education and art.

I read this shortly after reading Flesh and Bones from Getty Publications and together these books offered a well-rounded look at the art of the human body through the ages. The strengths of Ebenstein's volume is that it is more of a single work while the other uses essays to highlight aspects of the exhibition it is for.

I was impressed with the captions in this book, they were both quite informative while also being almost conversational in tone. There was a humanity and sense of compassion in the writing that made the images seem personal rather than clinical or even simply artistic.

I would recommend this to those who want both a beautifully illustrated book and one that also shares information.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. ( )