安伯托艾可不僅在國內也在國際社會有相當的盛名。本書將歷史脈絡一路走來對眼睛所及之事物的看法呈現，它不僅是一部藝術的歷史或美學史，而是作者融合兩者?美的概念所下的定義，涵括的範圍自古典到現代。書中論及的美包含繪畫、雕刻、建築、電影、攝影、裝置藝術以及小說、詩等領域廣泛，以使廣大的讀者都能信服。
在這部極度精美、份量十足的圖文作品中，艾可提供多層次的路徑，包括流動的文字記敘、繪畫以及雕刻的豐富的例證，另也將每個時代的作家、哲學家所摘選以及比較的說明內容收錄其中。對讀者而言，此書猶如一部想了解美的概念的真正的指引地圖，藉著作者靈活的筆調，使讀者進入一趟精采的旅行。
書中圖文並茂，旁徵博引，並穿插許多華麗精采的圖片。而艾可的符碼語言亦是台灣藝文讀者首次進入其解/結構的窗口。
What is beauty? What is art? What is taste and fashion? Is beauty something to be observed coolly and rationally or is it something dangerously involving? So begins Umberto Eco's intriguing journey into the aesthetics of beauty, in which he explores the ever-changing concept of the beautiful from the ancient Greeks to today. While closely examining the development of the visual arts and drawing on works of literature from each era, Eco broadens his enquiries to consider a range of concepts, including the idea of love, the unattainable woman, natural inspiration versus numeric formulas, and the continuing importance of ugliness, cruelty, and even the demonic.
Professor Eco takes us from classical antiquity to the present day, dispelling many preconceptions along the way and concluding that the relevance of his research is urgent because we live in an age of great reverence for beauty, "an orgy of tolerance, the total syncretism and the absolute and unstoppable polytheism of Beauty."
In this, his first illustrated book, Professor Eco offers a layered approach that includes a running narrative, abundant examples of painting and sculpture, and excerpts from writers and philosophers of each age, plus comparative tables. A true road map to the idea of beauty for any reader who wishes to journey into this wonderful realm with Eco's nimble mind as guide.
