Richard Serra /

A sculptor friend glancing through my review copy said "This is not for the layman." Perhaps this first volume of a new paperback series to be called "October Files" (after the art criticism journal October, from whence come many of its essays) could best be described as serious writing about serious art. Lay readers are certainly not excluded from reading serious art criticism, but this book is not intended as an introduction to or overview of the work of Richard Serra, the prominent metal sculptor. Instead, six essays, accompanied by photographs drawn from October and various exhibition catalogs, discuss various aspects of the artist's filmmaking, lead casting, sculpture siting, and philosophy. By turning an intensive gaze on particular segments of the artist's total oeuvre, the reader can proceed to a larger understanding of his work. For academic libraries.DDavid McClelland, Philadelphia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.