The publishers held a survey to celebrate the launch of this monumental tome. ‘Who is your favourite artist?’ they asked. The winning trio were Monet, Van Gogh and Rolf Harris. Which raises the question: should a ‘definitive guide to art’ be based on what is popular… or what is decreed to be fine by experts? DK have trodden a line somewhere between the two. Editorial Consultant Andrew Graham-Dixon is a celebrity chef of the art world, having presented six BBC TV series about art and authored books and newspaper columns.

What he has helped produce is a magnificent breeze-block of a book. It’s busy and educational rather than a work of art itself, too much is crammed in for that. This hefty hardback contains 612 full-colour pages a bit bigger than A4. Inside are 2,500 illustrations, covering the work of more than 700 artists, ranging from prehistoric antler carvings to Damien Hirst.

Of course it’s worth the money. A book of this grandeur will be passed on to your children like a family bible. And there’s nowhere else you could find this breadth of material. Try searching the net. A few hours later you may have seen a couple of pages’ worth. Then look at the four pages of tiny type that form the book’s acknowledgments - it’s a breath-taking display of how much work went into it. And that’s not counting the agonising hours of what to include. Despite the title, it’s mainly about painting. There’s some sculpture but specialisations like photography, ceramics and architecture get short shrift. The bulk is a chronological encyclopedia of painters and they will always be a subjective choice.

Among my favourites I noted that Beryl Cook and Alfred Wallis are in, Stanhope Forbes and Kurt Jackson are not. Modern populist Jack Vattriano and self-publicist Tracey Emin are there too but not critically-acclaimed painter John Piper nor the sublime 20th-century English engraver Robin Tanner. And there’s certainly no mention of Rolf Harris…