Aby Warburg is regarded as one of the great pioneers of modern cultural studies. This book brings together texts by many of the most renowned researchers in the field who have been influenced by his work.

The second part of the book continues when Warburg's disciple, Fritz Saxl, takes his place as director of what had become the famous Warburg Institute. After Aby's death, with the rise of Hitler, the Nazis threaten to burn down the library.

This book focuses on Aby Warburg (1866-1929), one of the legendary figures of twentieth century cultural history.

This volume presents the work of the “Collegium for the Advanced Study of the Picture Act and Embodiment” at the London Warburg Institute.

In 1933, the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg left its home in Hamburg and went into exile in London, salvaging the books and painting collection of its founder Aby Warburg from the Nazis.

Most of the lectures were written between 1933-1948; the second volume containing the plates to accompany the lectures, and they played an essential part in Saxl's effort to make the Warburg Institute known in England.