NORTHERN LIGHTS: Masterpieces of Tom Thompson and the Group of Seven (a coffee table book). Though little known south of the border, Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven are widely considered Canada's greatest visual artists. Through their idiosyncratic blend of impressionism and fauvism, they produced stunning depictions of Canada's northern landscape and founded a uniquely Canadian school of art. Northern Lights provides a gorgeous overview of their illustrious careers. This is first and foremost a coffee-table book, not a scholarly monograph nor an in-depth art historical treatise. The introductory essay is only five pages long. In it Joan Murray provides a nutshell summary of the Group of Seven for newcomers, while sprinkling it with enough new material not to bore the tears out of those already familiar with the plethora of existing books on the subject (many written by Murray herself). In compensation for the brief opener, the bulk of the book's text appears interspersed throughout the gallery of 118 color plates. Each pictured work is accompanied by a paragraph or few offering valuable context as to where, how, and why each painting was created.