President receives Encyclopædia Britannica’s Art of India

New Delhi: Indian President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam has received Encyclopædia Britannica's Art of India: Prehistory to the Present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Encyclopædia Britannica, publishers of high-quality reference, education and learning products, have brought to visual art lovers a unique and aesthetically appealing scholarly insight into the history of art, from prehistory to the present.

Tracing the history of visual art of India, Art of India: Prehistory to the Present is divided into three sections: Historical Record, a logical periodisation; Genres in Context, Indian art by medium including architecture, painting, sculpture, epigraphy, photography, textiles, crafts, and numismatics; and Guide to the Arts, over 111 comprehensive articles that highlight places of interest, art forms, and famous art-world personalities who have left an indelible mark in the world of visual art. Written and compiled by world-renowned scholars and experts, the book has been edited by Prof Frederick M Asher of the University of Minnesota.

This compendium of visual art, Art of India is invaluable for art connoisseurs the world over. A first of its kind from Encyclopædia Britannica, Art of India is yet another significant landmark in Encyclopædia Britannica India's mission to consistently provide new, exciting, well-researched products, for the Indian and the international markets. Art of India, spread over 600 pages, is priced at Rs 2,700.

In the past year, Encyclopædia Britannica India has introduced several new products, including Encyclopædia Britannica 2002 print set, Britannica Book of the Year 2002, the seven-volume Students' Britannica: India, the Britannica Quizmaster series, Bharat Gyan Kosh, India Book of the Year 2003, and the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.

Encyclopædia Britannica creates and markets products of the highest quality for reference, education and learning. The company recently published a revised printing of the 32-volume Encyclopædia Britannica. First published in 1768, Encyclopædia Britannica is the oldest continuously published reference work in the English language.

Britannica is also a leader in electronic publishing and now publishes encyclopaedias and other works in many forms on the Internet, CD-ROM, and DVD. The company is headquartered in Chicago and also maintains offices in London, New Delhi, Paris, Seoul, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo.