An art history book, well-known among the nation's scholarly types, is being majorly revised for the first time since its original publication in 1962. Janson's History of Art was written by Horst Woldemar Janson while he was working at New York University, and has become the baby boomer professors guide to the history of art.

In the modernized version, however, some changes have caused controversy among the art nerds. While the re-write incorporates more women and tackles issues of race and gender, there is major concern over the elimination of the esteemed portrait "Whistler's Mother."

This is especially discouraging for a professor at the University of New Mexico, who worries that his students buried in the dusty desert may not be culturally adept enough to eventually be let loose into the big city.

"What if there's a cartoon in The New Yorker that uses it as a reference? Younger students aren't going to know what it's talking about."

We could not imagine anything worse than not being able to comprehend a New Yorker cartoon. You know, they make you move out of the city if they catch you being such a total dumbass.

Revising Art History's Big Book: Who's In and Who Comes Out? [Randy Kennedy, New York Times]