BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, BUT IT ALSO HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE BEHOLDER'S CULTURAL STANDARDS. IN HISTORY OF BEAUTY, RENOWNED AUTHOR UMBERTO ECO SETS OUT TO DEMONSTRATE HOW EVERY HISTORICAL ERA HAS HAD ITS OWN IDEAS ABOUT EYE-APPEAL. PAGES OF CHARTS THAT TRACK ARCHETYPES OF BEAUTY THROUGH THE AGES ("NUDE VENUS," "NUDE ADONIS," AND SO FORTH) MAY SUGGEST THAT THIS BOOK IS A HISTORICAL SURVEY OF BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE PORTRAYED IN ART. BUT HISTORY OF BEAUTY IS REALLY ABOUT THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHICAL AND PERCEPTUAL NOTIONS OF PERFECTION AND HOW THEY HAVE BEEN APPLIED TO IDEAS AND OBJECTS, AS WELL AS TO THE HUMAN BODY. THIS SURVEY RANGES OVER SUCH THEMES AS THE MATHEMATICS OF IDEAL PROPORTIONS, THE PROBLEM OF REPRESENTING UGLINESS, THE FASCINATION OF THE EXOTIC AND ART FOR ...