Barnard (U. of Darby, UK) examines a broad range of images including package design, paintings, typography, architecture, body art, automotive design, and textiles in discussing the different ways that visual culture may be understood. His b&w-illustrated text describes and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of several methods that have been proposed, such as stylistic, formal, expressionist, Marxist, feminist, iconographical, and semiological approaches. It also considers the nature of understanding, interpretation, and explanation, asking philosophical questions such as: "How do we know when we have successfully explained a piece of visual culture?" Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)