Free Art Books – List – Patrick Lawrence's Art Blog and Portfolio

Whistler, James McNeill, 1909. The gentle art of making enemies, as pleasingly exemplified in many instances, wherein the serious ones of this earth, carefully exasperated, have been prettily spurred on to unseemliness and indiscretion, while overcome by an undue sense of right.

http://www.archive.org/details/gentl…akin00whisuoft

Ludovici, Anthony Mario, 1912 – The letters of a post-impressionist; being the familiar correspondence of Vincent van Gogh.

http://www.archive.org/details/lette…timp00goghuoft

Gauguin, Paul, 1919. Noa Noa. Translated from the French by O.F. Theis.

http://www.archive.org/details/noano…ated00gauguoft

Vasari, Giorgio. Lives of the most eminent painters, sculptors & architects (complete in ten volumes).

http://www.archive.org/details/lives…mine01vasauoft

http://www.archive.org/details/lives…mine10vasauoft

Clark, Kenneth, 1952. Leonardo Da Vinci An Account Of His Development As An Artist.

http://www.archive.org/details/leona…incia013645mbp

Hind, Charles Lewis. Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.

http://www.archive.org/details/drawi…onar00leonuoft

Mount, Charles Merrill, 1955. John Singer Sargent – A Biography.

http://www.archive.org/details/johns…argen000439mbp

Marillier, H. C. 1912. The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley.

http://www.archive.org/details/early…hpre00bearuoft

The later work of Aubrey Beardsley.

http://www.archive.org/details/later…ubre00bearuoft

Quennell, Peter, 1955. Hogarth’s Progress.

http://www.archive.org/details/hogar…gress011296mbp

Clapp, 1916 – Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, his life and work.

http://www.archive.org/details/jacop…idap00clapuoft

Panofsky, Erwin, 1955. The Life and Art of Albrecht Durer.

The classic study of Durer

http://www.archive.org/details/lifea…falbr000686mbp

Strange, Edward Fairbrother, 1906. Hokusai, the old man mad with painting.

http://www.archive.org/details/hokus…nmad00strauoft

Whistler (lots)

http://www.archive.org/search.php?qu…201834-1903%22

Clark, Kenneth. The Romantic Rebellion.

http://www.archive.org/details/TheRomanticRebellion

Clark, Kenneth, 1949. Landscape into Art.

http://www.archive.org/details/lands…toart000630mbp

Panofsky, Erwin, 1955. Meaning In The Visual Arts – Papers In and On Art History.

http://www.archive.org/details/meani…evisu010505mbp
10 works illustrated by NC Wyeth .

http://www.archive.org/search.php?qu…0Convers%29%22

30+ works illustrated by Howard Pyle (+ 10 on Gutenberg).

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=howard%20pyle

28 works by, or illustrated by Walter Crane.

http://www.archive.org/search.php?qu…iatype%3Atexts
EDIT: Check below the dotted line for new recommendations

————————————————————

Pen Illustration

Maginnis, Charles. Pen Drawing – An Illustrated Treatise

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17502 (4.9 MB zip)

Sullivan, Edmund J. 1921. The Art Of Illustration.

http://www.archive.org/details/TheArtOfIllustration

Sullivan, Edmund J. 1922. Line – an art study

http://www.archive.org/details/lineartstudy00sulluoft
Books illustrated by Arthur Rackham

Goblin Market (scanned by chaosrocks)

http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e1…1166111935.pbw

http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e1…1166111772.pbw

http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e1…1166111696.pbw

Vernon Jones, V. S.1916. Æsop’s fables : a new translation. (Rackham, Arthur, illustrator)

http://www.archive.org/details/aesopsfables00chesuoft

Gates, Eleanor, 1907. Good-night (Buenas noches).

http://www.archive.org/details/goodn…nasn00gateiala

Morley, Christopher, 1922. Where the blue begins.

http://www.archive.org/details/where…ebeg00morlrich

Ibsen, Henrik, [19–?]. Peer Gynt: a dramatic poem.

http://www.archive.org/details/peerg…atic00ibseuoft

Stephens, James, 1920. Irish fairy tales.

http://www.archive.org/details/irish…ales00steprich

Fitz-Gerald, S. J. Adair (Shafto Justin Adair),1896. The Zankiwank & the Bletherwitch.

http://www.archive.org/details/zanki…ther00fitziala

Evans, C. S., 1920. The sleeping beauty.

http://www.archive.org/details/sleepingbeauty00evanrich

More Rackham

http://www.conceptart.org/wiki/doku….ator_1867-1939
Architecture
Robinson, John Beverley, 1914. Architectural Composition (found by Farvus)

http://www.archive.org/details/ArchitecturalComposition

Other architectural highlights include 50+ elaborately illustrated volumes of the journal known successively as Architecture, American architect and architecture, and Architectural record:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?qu…3Atexts&page=1

plus numerous volumes both on the history of architecture in general, and on specific styles including Egyptian, Greek, Byzantine, Norman, Gothic, Romanesque, Medieval, Muslim, Indian … Just use the search button.

Books on the imagination (found by chronologic; reviewed by armando here)

Ribot, Th. 1906. Essay on the creative imagination.

http://www.archive.org/details/essay…eati00ribouoft

Rhoades, James, 1908. The training of the imagination.

http://www.archive.org/details/train…agin00rhoauoft
Composition

Dow, Arthur Wesley, 1913. Composition; a series of exercises in art structure for the use of students and teachers.

http://www.archive.org/details/compo…erie00dowauoft
Fashion (from Farvus)

Ellsworth, Evelyn Peters, 1917. Textiles and costume design

http://www.archive.org/details/texti…umed00ellsrich

Traphagen, Ethel, 1918. Costume design and illustration

http://www.archive.org/details/costu…nill00trapiala
More Artists and their works

Heermann, Norbert, 1918. Frank Duveneck

http://www.archive.org/details/frankduveneck00heeruoft

Roof, Katharine Metcalf, 1917. The life and art of William Merritt Chase

http://www.archive.org/details/lifea…liam00roofiala

Cox, Kenyon, 1914. Winslow Homer

http://www.archive.org/details/winslowhomer00coxkuoft

Inness, George Jr,, 1917. Life, Art and Letters of George Inness.

http://www.archive.org/details/lifea…etter005237mbp

Hartmann, Sadakichi, 1910. The Whistler book; a monograph of the life and position in art of James McNeill Whistler

http://www.archive.org/details/whist…mono00hartiala

Macfall, Haldane, [1906?] Whistler

http://www.archive.org/details/whistler00macfiala

Furst, Herbert, 1920. Frank Brangwyn, R.A (woodcuts)

http://www.archive.org/details/frank…ynra00braniala

Sparrow, Walter Shaw, 1915. A Book of Bridges (illustr. Brangwyn)

http://www.archive.org/details/booko…sspa00sparrich

Brooklyn Museum, 1921 – Historical paintings of the Slavic nations (Mucha’s Slav Epic)

http://www.archive.org/details/histo…inti00muchiala
Books with illustrations by N.C. Wyeth

The throwback : a romance of the Southwest (1906)

http://www.archive.org/details/throwback00lewirich

Arizona nights (c1907)

http://www.archive.org/details/arizonanights00whitrich

Whispering Smith (1908 [c1906)

http://www.archive.org/details/whisp…mith00spearich

The song of Hiawatha (c1908 )

http://www.archive.org/details/songofhiawatha00long2

Susanna and Sue (c1909)

http://www.archive.org/details/susannasue00wigg

The long roll (1911)

http://www.archive.org/details/longrollmary00johnrich

Treasure Island (c1911)

http://www.archive.org/details/treasureisland00stev

Cease firing (1912)

http://www.archive.org/details/ceasefiring00johnuoft

The sampo; a wonder tale of the old North ([c1912])

http://www.archive.org/details/sampowondertaleo00bald

Blackfeet Indian stories (c1913)

http://www.archive.org/details/blackfeetindians00grin

Letters of a woman homesteader (1914)

http://www.archive.org/details/lette…anho00stewuoft

The drums of the 47th (c1914)

http://www.archive.org/details/drumsof47th00burd

Nan of Music Mountain (1916)

http://www.archive.org/details/nanofmusic00spearich

The mysterious stranger : a romance (1916)

http://www.archive.org/details/myste…nger00twairich

The black arrow : a tale of the two Roses ([c1916])

http://www.archive.org/details/blackarrowtaleof00stev

Robin Hood (1917)

http://www.archive.org/details/robinhood00cresrich

The last of the Mohicans : a narrative of 1757 (1919)

http://www.archive.org/details/19lastmohicans00cooprich

Robinson Crusoe (1920)

http://www.archive.org/details/robinsoncrusoe00defo

The courtship of Miles Standish (1920)

http://www.archive.org/details/courtshipofmiles001long

Rip Van Winkle (c1921)

http://www.archive.org/details/ripvanwinkle00irvi

Poems of American patriotism (c1922)

http://www.archive.org/details/poemsofamericanp00matt

Vandemark’s folly (c1922)

http://www.archive.org/details/vande…olly00hawtrich

Chapman’s American Drawing Book (added by patdzon)

Chapman, J.G. (John Gadsby), 1847. The American drawing-book: a manual for the amateur, and basis of study for the professional artist: especially adapted to the use of public and private schools, as well as home instruction.

http://books.google.com/books?id=NdAEAAAAYAAJ (1847 edn: 168 pp.)

http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-…ew=toc;c=nietz (1847 edn: 168 pp.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=BoQEAAAAYAAJ (1858 edn: 304 pp.)

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi….I0001&isize=M (1870 edn: 320 pp)
Perspective

Loomis, Andrew, 1951. Successful Drawing.

http://acid.noobgrinder.com/Loomis/A…%20Drawing.rar (direct download link)

Storey, G. A. The Theory and Practice of Perspective.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20165/20165-h.zip (direct download link)

Watson, Ernest W., 1955. How To Use Creative Perspective.

http://www.archive.org/details/howto…ative036957mbp (poor scans)

Longfellow, William Pitt Preble, 1901. Applied perspective, for architects and painters.

http://www.archive.org/details/appli…ecti00longrich