Pronunciation Dictionary of Artists' Names

This specialized dictionary is a handy aid to sounding erudite when you're trying to praise the sculptures of Giacometti or exalt over the paintings of Modigliani. The guide key included for pronunciations is not entirely user friendly; I much prefer the method used in the web site http://nhcs.k12.in.us/staff/pbortka/pronouceguide/ in which sounds are rendered phonetically. The list of artists on the web site is much smaller, but I especially like its approach to Vincent Van Gogh: just use the English pronunciation of van GOH since the Dutch pronunciation is nearly impossible to render phonetically for English speakers! The book, on the other hand, gives it a try: "vin-sent fen kok or gok or go (with lots of font fluorishes over those k's and g's and o's). Originated by The Art Institute of Chicago, the book includes over 4,000 artists' names, and is bound to be appreciated by museum afficianados and coffee shop denizens. (JAF)