Monitor: Read

Got Guidance?

In an era of fragments and misinformation, there's something downright thrilling about an old-fashioned guide, with everything you need to know all in one place. Stephen Wilson's Information Arts: Intersections of Art, Science, and Technology (MIT, $41) looks at the future of art in a gigantic compendium covering more than 200 artists situated at the intersection of art and technology. Want to know all about the LED work of Jim Campbell? It's here, along with info on AI, robots, biologically-inflected art and more. In a somewhat lighter vein, editors Laurie Dolphin and Stuart S. Shapiro's bright and beautiful Flash Frames: A New Pop Culture (Watson-Guptill, $24.95) jacks into Generation Flash, heralding "a new beat for a new generation" as seen in the work of 40 Flash maestros. Game On (Universe, $25) rivals Flash Frames' colorful history as it charts the history of gaming, guiding readers from the earliest efforts (beginning in 1962!) to Lara Croft. And in Search: The Graphics Web Guide (Universe, $22), Ken Coupland offers guidance on hundreds of Web sites useful to designers. Design, typography, events, and more: it's all here!