Praise for <u>American Gothic</u>

Steven Biel `79 has written American Gothic: The Life of America`s Most Famous Painting, which explores how the public`s opinion of the famous Grant Wood painting has evolved over the painting`s 75-year history. The New York Times Book Review praised Biel`s writing as full of "wit and broad knowledge" and compared reading the book to "hearing a good friend hold forth in pleasant conversation on a lazy summer afternoon." The Economist writes that Biel, the director of the history and literature program at Harvard University, "weaves together a rich cultural history of this unforgettable picture and asks why it has become, for better or for worse, America`s most popular painting." The book has also been featured in TIME magazine in the article "5 History Books for the Beach." For the complete articles go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/books/review/10BASSING.html http://www.economist.com/books/displayStory.cfm?story_id=4127025 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1081368,00.html