Product Description
Encompasses the entire range of the photographic medium, from the camera lucida to up-to-date computer technology, and from Europe and the Americas to the Far East. The text investigates all aspects of photography - aesthetic, documentary, commercial and technical - while placing it in historical context. It includes three technical sections with detailed information about equipment and processes. This edition also updates important new international work from the 1980s and 1990s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

great history of photography
If you want to be a great photographer you need to know it's history. See where others have walked so you can stand on their shoulders to reach anew horizon. It book has been in a lot of college photo history classes as a bible of sorts. I find by looking back I get new ideas as the direction I want my photography to go in. By looking at works of art you can raise your own talents in photography and take it to an even higher level. It gives you ideas and visions. So when you are out shooting, you can look for images to take and not just recording what you see, but making it happen for the camera. I found the book to very useful in that regard.

Very informative and interesting book
89% of the people reviewing this book gave it a "favorable" rating, ie. 4 and 5 star ratings combined. I include myself in that count.

Look, other reviewers, this is a book about the history (let me repeat: history) of photography, and it does it extremely well. Yes, it is a textbook. So what? That is hardly a condemnation.

If you are interested in a deeper understanding of the development of photography, this is a good purchase. If you are just interested in pretty photos
and don't want to read, go elsewhere. Scott Kelby will greet you with open arms. On the other hand, there are some very fascinating photos in this book that I have never seen before.

I would buy this book again. I have gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of photography as a result of reading it.

Comprehensive
Bought this as the main text for a class at Wellesley College.
Great for a complete history of the developement and social impact of photography.
(Not concerned with technique, technical details, or technology)

A Bit Too Large For Me
Although this book is filled with images, I really prefer "Photography In Print" - see my review of it.

Informative, readable, and tons of historical photographs
I was astounded at how much information Rosenblum was able to distill into a very readable and interesting book.And she has included so many historical photographs !!!I suspect that any person who cares about the "roots" of photography, especially the great masters of photography that preceeded us, will find this book to be very helpful, profound and even inspirational.

Just don't drop this very heavy book on your foot. ... Read more

Product Description

For one or two semester courses in the History of Photography.

Mary Warner Marien has constructed a richer and more kaleidoscopic account of the history of photography than has previously been available. Her comprehensive survey shows compellingly how photography has sharpened, if not altered forever, our perception of the world.

The book was written to introduce students to photography. It does not require that students possess any technical know-how and can be taught without referring to techniques in photography. Incorporating the latest research and international uses of photography, the text surveys the history of photography in such a way that students can gauge the medium's long-term multifold developments and see the historical and intellectual contexts in which photographers lived and worked. It also provides a unique focus on contemporary photo-based work and electronic media.

Customer Reviews (9)

Histories of Photography
Needed this book for a Histories of Photography Class.
Ordered the 2nd edition expecting to see the cover that was pictured on this page,
but received an "imported version" with a totally different cover of the 2nd edition instead.
So far that's all that's really different.
Since I received something other than what I was expecting I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars.

The required edition for my course was the third one but this one works just the same.
Pages & order of content differ slightly, but the content seems not to have changed.

Actually quite easy for me to read in comparison to other history books I've read.
LOTS of pictures which I love :)

photo
This product was shipped and delivered on time and was in mint condition.It was for a class so I have only read a few portions so far.It is very informative the imformation is presented clearly in a chronological manner.The photographs and illustrations create a vivid understanding that compliments the written material very well.

textbook


great condition thanks

Photography: A Cultural History

Very hard to read
I found photography a Cultural History a very hard to read book. The author seems to jump from subject to subject and from photographer to photographer without any cohesive meaning. The chapters get harder to read as you move towards the later chapters, unfortunately. I don't see what is the sense to mentioning what a photogrpher did or said in a 2 or 3 sentence paragraph, then jump to another photographer and do the same, then jump to another one and do the same and so on and so on. Also, why is the photographers years of existence printed next to each photographers name in parenthesis ? This only makes the book even harder to read. I bought the book because I'm a photography student and the book is mandatory for one of the required courses, but if it was up to me, I would rather use and purchase "The History of Photography" written By Beaumont Newhall even though it is out of date. This was the book originally used in the past, but a few years ago allot of schools decided to switch to the Warner Marien book which I think was a big mistake.

Photography: A cultural history (trade version)
An exellent source. The price was unbeatable. At school a smaller version of this book was over $100 and I paid less than $50for a more complete book! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (11)

Nice Camera Book
This book is an awesome history of the device we refer to as a "The Camera," from the primitive 19th century boxes to modern digital forms, a great pictoral history of an evolution.

The camera's history, finally!
Finally we have a book that explores the history of the equipment that makes the photograph possible rather than a history through photographs! Many books calling themselves histories of photography look only at the photographs via people such as Brady and Adams. While the photograph is obviously the ultimate goal of any photographer many have an acute interest in the equipment and science behind it.Many, such as myself, even collect old photo equipment. Whether professional or amateur, if you are fascinated by cameras and other photographica, you need this book! Beautifully illustrated and well written, its scope superbly covers a much neglected subject.

Lots of info
Got this book based on others reviews for a friend that is a photographer. Although I only flipped through at it very brieflybefore I gave it as a gift, it looked like a very well done and thorough book. My friend seems to really enjoy the book, and has commented to me many times about the amount of information in the book. I think it was a good purchase for anyone really interested in the history of photography.

Excellent Product!Excellent Service!
The book I purchased was in great shape and condition when I received it.It also arrived very quickly, thanks for the wonderful service!

A robust take on photo tech
I bought this book as a gift.I read and digested it cover to cover before I wrapped it.I plan to buy copy for myself sooner of later.

It thoroughly covers a subject that many photo history texts relegate to tiny captions.There are many great books on the history of photography and I would rank this one up there with the best.There are so many cameras in this book, so many I have never seen.From camera obscuras to the digital age.Every process is detailed and the tech that went with it.It is a photo geeks paradise to peruse the pages.As a avid photo artist, I really enjoyed this book and plan to use it as a teaching text. ... Read more

Product Description
Since its first publication in 1937, this lucid and scholarly chronicle of the history of photography has been hailed as the classic work on the subject. No other book and no other author have managed to relate the aesthetic evolution of the art of photography to its technical innovations with such an absorbing combination of clarity, scholarship and enthusiasm. Through more than 300 works by such master photographers as William Henry Fox Talbot, Timothy O'Sullivan, Julia Margaret Cameron, Eugene Atget, Peter Henry Emerson, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Man Ray, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Ansel Adams, Brassai, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Harry Callahan, Minor White, Robert Frank and Diane Arbus, author Beaumont Newhall presents a fascinating, comprehensive study of the significant trends and developments in the medium since the first photographs were made in 1839. New selections added to the fifth edition include photographs made in color, from hand-tinted daguerreotypes of 1850 to turn-of-the-century autochromes by Edward Steichen, to works by contemporary masters such as Eliot Porter, Ernst Haas, William Eggleston, Stephen Shore and Joel Meyerowitz.Beaumont Newhall (1908-1993) was an influential curator, art historian, writer and photographer. In 1935 he became the Librarian at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. In 1940, he became the first Director of MoMA's Photography Department. He served as Curator of the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House from 1948 to 1958, then as its Director from 1958 to 1971. While at the Eastman House, Newhall was responsible for amassing one of the greatest photographic collections in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Book Condition
The book arrived on the schedule promised and was in the condition described in its listing.
The book itself is a very comprehensive treatment of the History of Photography and has great detail associated with all entries.

Very informative
For those interested in history, this is a very good book. A good read, covering many types of photography through the years. Not a bit dry.

Slow service and very unapologetic
I ordered the History of Photography for a grad class and Emailed them stating the urgency in receiving this product on time.I did not hear from them and did not receive shipment information. When I emailed them again they finally responded stating that they have up to 4 weeks to get me their book. They still did not tell me when it was shipped so I Emailed again only to find out that they did not even ship my order until the 20th (I had ordered it on the 16th!) They were unapologetic and very unhelpful when I asked when they thought that the book would arrive they told me that they didn't keep track of shipment info and that they didn't know.It took the full three weeks to get here and I've never ordered something small like a book that took more than a week to get (I live in Michigan and they shipped from Pennsylvania).Needless to say I'll never order through them again!

Easy Learning
I bought this book for a college class and I intend on keeping it forever. The amount of information is great. Lots of examples of great photography. Great book to get into history in a fun way.

Great Book - Pleasure to read
This could have been dry subject matter, but it was both interesting and useful. As an avid designer that dabbles in photography, I found this to be a great book. ... Read more

Product Description
150 years of American photography come alive in this exciting new book, placing it in its cultural context for the first time. Orvell examines this fascinating subject through a wide range of well known and less-well known images. He ranges from portraiture and landscape photography, family albums and memory, and analyses the particularly 'American' way in which American photographers have viewed the world around them. Orvell combines a clear overview of the changing nature of photographic thinking and practice in this period with an exploration of key concepts. The result is the first coherent history of American photography, which examines issues such as the nature of photographic exploitation, experimental techniques, the power of the photograph to shock, and whether we should subscribe to the notion of a visual history. ""What a terrific book!...Rich references to literature, history, art, and popular culture make this story come alive.""--Mary Panzer, Author of Matthew Brady and the Image of History, and former curator of photographs for the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great to do business with!
The item was just as described in outstanding condition, and the lowest price~ Thanks!
~ ... Read more

Product Description
Photography: An Illustrated History is a captivating account of how photography evolved from labor-intensive daguerrotypes in the mid-1800s to one of the most popular hobbies and respected art forms in the world today. Brimming with black-and-white and color photographs from throughout itsmultifaceted history, this volume not only documents technological developments, but also the phenomenal effect the craft has had upon journalism, industry, science, medicine, the military, and beyond.Featuring the accomplishments of pioneers such as Louis Daguerre, George Eastman, Julia MargaretCameron, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Margaret Bourke-White, and others, Photography: An Illustrated History presents an engaging history of photography through some of the most spectacular images ever captured on film. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great bargain on Kindle
The Kindle includes all the pictures and the color ones are in color.The page layout is similar to the printed book and is very usable.This book is a great bargain on the Kindle.It is full of great photos from famous photographers.

The story about the discovery of photography, the evolution and the photographers
I like Sandlers history. He tells a fluent story. He describes the evolution through talking about the persons making the discoveries and the photographers developing seeing. There are quotes and backgrounds. This sets his book apart from others I've read. It makes it a lively and interesting read and the history is easier to remember.

Every page has excellent reproductions, even the index pages.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Gay Photography
Borhan, Pierre. "Man to Man: A History of Gay Photography", Vendome, 2007.

Gay Photography

Amos Lassen

At 300 pages and about 500 photographs, "Man to man" aspires to chronicle the history of gay photography. This is quite an ambitious undertaking which succeeds in many ways. One of the admirable things about the book is that it is divided into sections representing different periods of time as well as the changing attitude toward male/male photography.
Many of the photographs are stunning and the photos date from the 1840's to the present. There are all kinds of photographs here and they reflect various aspects of man love. Just the way the book is divided:
"The Slow Emergence of Homosexuality, 1840-1918", "The Photographer's Choice: Suppression or Emancipation, 1918-1969", and "Art Photographers Declare their Homosexuality, 1969-2006" puts everything into an easy frame of reference.
This is a book that reflects out community in all of its aspects and can me perused and read over and over. It is not just the photographs that the book has to offer. The text is readable and contains a great deal of information. This is a big (coffee table sized book) and beautiful book that is a welcome addition to the large and ever growing gay canon.

A beautiful book, but not perfect
Man to Man: A History of Gay Photography has lofty ambitions - seeking in 300 pages and through approximately 500 photographs to chronicle the entire history of homosexuals in photograph. It's an ambitious goal, and the result is a beautiful, hefty coffee table book that in many ways succeeds, but in some ways falls short.

The area where this book shines is in its huge collection of photos from many different eras. The collection begins with the early photographs of the Victorian era - these are mostly of two full-dressed men who may or may not be a couple. Discussing the implications of homosexuality in this era, the collection is a fascinating look into a world that has thankfully changed substantially. The collection then moves into the 1918-1969 era, in which gay photography was more common, but still largely underground. Here we begin to see men flouting their physiques and showing off their bodies in everything from personal photographs to the popular 'beefcake' spreads of the 1950's. the third section explores the modern age, in which photographers enjoyed relative freedom in photographic gay subject matter.

The photos themselves are good for the most part, although there is a lot of amateur subject matter in here, particularly amongst the older photos. These are interesting, but you shouldn't expect the best composition or poses. There are some very powerful images from the early 20th century taken by professional photographers, and I found these to be amongst the best in the book, primarily the work of Wilhelm von Gloeden and Wilhelm von Pluschow. Overall, about 20% of the photos in here are full-frontal, with the collection focusing on the artistic rather than the erotic. This might not satisfy some readers, and in all honesty gay photography tends to run to the erotic, so that may be underrepresented here.

As the book moves past 1920, it becomes a little too eclectic and scattered to truly serve its purpose as a comprehensive look at the history of gay photography. It presents a lot of material from the 1950's and 1960's without really giving the reader a sense of the evolution of the art, and then all of a sudden you're in the modern era. This section is really limited, particularly considering the amount of material out there. The authors briefly discuss Mapplethorpe and his contemporaries, but this is by no means a comprehensive or overly informative look at modern works. It also completely ignores the use of homoerotic images in advertising, such as works found in Calvin Klein, GQ and Abercrombie & Fitch. I'm not sure any historical survey of gay photography is complete if you skip this entirely.

Another shortcoming of the book is the writing. The editors have done a fine job assembling an impressive collection of photos, but they aren't great writers. Most of the text in the book reads as the author's opinions, and the structure is a little clunky and awkward. There is little fact presented here, and rather than a sense of what things were like in the eras covered, readers instead get a sense of what the writers supposed life was like.

This is a unique work in its scope, and for that reason it may be a good buy. It's honestly a little overpriced for what it is, and there are better collections out there if one is looking for a collection of photos from a particular era or of a particular type. For those who want a broad look at gay photography, this might work. I personally resold my copy because only one or two photos stood out as particularly impressive.

A Comprehensive, Intelligent, and Elegant Photographic History
MAN TO MAN: A HISTORY OF GAY PHOTOGRAPHY in the much awaited compendium that explores in depth the history of gay photography while providing an important sociological treatise illustrated by some of the finest reproductions of early daguerreotypes to the luminous black and white and full color artworks of today. Author Pierre Borhan sets the pace for the book in an enlightening Foreword 'Coming to Terms' in which he succinctly gives an overview of the chances taken, the fears, the bravery and the ultimate success of photographers who dared to document man to man relationships and subject matter since the inception of the art of photography. This is an immensely readable book as well as a rich collection of fine photographs from 1840 to the present.

The book is divided into sections that not only represent periods of time but also the development of attitude toward male photography. The first section 1840 - 1918: THE SLOW EMERGENCE OF HOMOSEXUALITY IN PHOTOGRAPHY draws upon posed studio images of men as friends (re Walt Whitman) and proceeds into the trend of voyeurism (as in Wilhelm von Gloeden and Wilhelm von Pluschow's recreation of mythological scenes) that provided images to a closeted group of buyers. The second section 1918 - 1969: THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S CHOICE - SUPPRESSION OR EMANCIPATION sites the emergence of gay male photographers who moved from the format of athletes as models, through the now famous Athletic Model Guild, Bruce of Los Angeles, George Platt Lynes, and the many anonymous images of eroticism that became readily available. The final section 1969 - 2006: ART PHOTOGRAPHERS DECLARE THEIR HOMOSEXUALITY is especially fine in examining the importance of male nudes in the marketing industry, and the infamous works of Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, John Dugdale, Jan Saudek, Pierre et Gilles, Nan Golden, Tom Bianchi, Duane Michals, Andreas Bitesnich among other preeminent artists whose images are now widely collected by museums and the general public.

Borhan is assisted by Olivier Saillard and Gilles Mora in editing and researching this excellent book. If there are important omissions (where are the works of the new and important sensitive photographers such as Adam Raphael, Norm Yip, John Sonsini and Lyle Ashton Harris to name but a few?), there are more than a small number of photographers whose works will be new to the viewer. The quality of reproduction is top notch and the paper is the finest. On the cover is an image of Jean Marais, the lover of Jean Cocteau, whose face and body helped to bring serious attention to the subject of this excellent survey. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 07

Exceptional overview of gay photography
Large format book with thoughtful chronologically organized history and a great range of photographs illustrating male nude photography and the increasingly "out" elements of both the subjects and the photographers. By no means emphasizing either frontal nude or erotic compositions, but rather (refreshingly) the ART of photography within the gay male perspective. Some classic and well-known photographs, but a great many you will not have seen elsewhere and will appreciate in terms of the range of subject, lighting and composition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The real money shots
On page ninety-six of this 1988 published book there is a quote from ace ad man David Ogilvy: `If you have a remarkable idea for a photograph, it does not require a genius to click the shutter'.This sort of sums up this book to my mind because so many of the photos throughout the pages are just ordinary ad shots.Technically correct but not too memorable.This isn't helped by a rather serious editorial flaw: too many of the images don't show the ad they were used for and rather annoyingly there is plenty of empty page space where this could have been shown next to the photo.

There are a few pages that caught my eye which had commercial work from Lewis Hine, Edward Steichen, August Sander, Paul Outerbridge and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy.These are all world famous and rightly known for their individual creative work rather than ad shots.Photographers from recent decades include Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Hiro and Henry Wolf who are known as much for their ad work as editorial assignments.At the end of the day though ads pay the money.

The text from Sobieszek is not much more than names, dates and comments about style genres through the decades.The book's production doesn't make this an easy read either.The columns (three to a page) consistently have different depths and use a line space between paragraphs making the copy look very uninviting.Strangely the text uses: (fig. xx) to refer to the pictures and photo portfolios that following each chapter refers to them as Plates.The captions are just the merest technical detail without taking the opportunity to flesh out some aspect of the photo.

Overall I don't think there is really a story to tell about the history of advertising photography, least not to me after reading this book.Sure, there are a few great photos but without the ad they appeared in most of those included are not really worth a second look.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

Beautiful
A hard to find book, but a must have one for those interested in the history of adverting photography. It shows mostly on a visual manner the development of photography within the adverting field. Short chapter introductions help the reader find himself in time and figure out what is going on with the technical aspects of the period in the photography field. ... Read more

Product Description
: Over the past 150 years, Japanese photographers have created an impressive body of work that ranges from dignified imperial photographs to sweeping urban panoramas, from early ethereal landscapes to modern urban mysteries. Despite the richness, significance, and variety of this work, however, it has largely been neglected in Western histories of photography. This gorgeous and groundbreaking book—the first comprehensive account of Japanese photography from its inception in the mid-nineteenth century to the present day—reveals to English-speaking audiences the importance and beauty of this art form. Written by a team of distinguished Japanese and Western scholars, this book establishes that photography began to play a vital role in Japanese culture soon after its introduction to Japan in the 1850s. Illustrated essays discuss the medium’s evolution and aesthetic shifts in relation to the nation’s historical and cultural developments; the interaction of Japanese photographers with Western photographers; the link between photography and other Japanese art forms; and photography as a record and catalyst of change. Handsomely designed and generously illustrated with beautiful duotone and color images, the book emphasizes not only the unique features of Japanese photography but also the ways it has influenced and been influenced by the country’s culture and society.Amazon.com Review
Except for the rare international superstar like Araki Nobuyoshi, known for his gamy shots of nude young women, Japanese photography is a closed book to Westerners. Yet it has a distinguished and vital tradition that has enriched every genre, from portraits to landscapes, with a unique blend of lyricism and candor.In The History of Japanese Photography, a wealth of captivating images and essays by seven scholars trace 140 years of stylistic and cultural evolution. In 1857 a local ruler had his portrait taken with a daguerreotype set brought to Nagasaki by a foreign ship. Eleven years later, official photographs of the emperor--never glimpsed in person by his subjects—became widely available. Photographers were increasingly called upon to document new Japanese territories, natural disasters, and wars. Visitors hankered after studio shots of geishas and other exotica. Beginning in the 1890s, upper-class amateur photographers contributed a new emphasis on aesthetics. In the 1930s exquisite Pictorialist images of natural beauty gave way to modernist influences from Berlin and Moscow, and then—in wartime—to a conservative emphasis on traditional rural life. Individual expression dominated postwar photography, as seen in such images as Tomatsu Shomei’s haunting "Beer bottle after the atomic bomb explosion." Recent work reflects the dislocations of urban consumer society. Beautifully produced, with 356 color illustrations, this groundbreaking volume accompanies an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (March 2-April 27, 2003) that travels to the Cleveland Museum of Art (May 18-July 27, 2003).—Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Beautiful and interesting book
I must say that this book is beautiful and I hightly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Japanese photography.I have started reading it and the writing is refreshingly lucid and informative while the photographic reproductions are impressive.At times, the authors do presuppose a knowledge of Western photographic history that may be daunting for some readers. If you are not familiar with that history you may not find the arguments or explanations as productive or interesting as they are. However, even if you are a unfamiliar with the history and you are just curious about the topic, this book has a lot to offer if you just skim the essays.The more academic-minded readers will find the essays to be critically and historically illuminating, intriguing, and thought-provoking. Plus the book is so beautiful.

Simply stunning
This is one of the finest photography books I've seen recently. Filled with page after page of gorgeous photographs spanning a range of over one hundred years, from rare vintage images to fascinating contemporary work, this volume tells the story of a vastly understudied area of artistic work. Everything about this volume--its design, its production, its content--does beautiful justice to the subject matter. Finally--a worthy book on Japanese photography!!! ... Read more

Product Description
Moving the critical debate about photography away fromits current Euro-American center of gravity, Photography’s OtherHistories breaks with the notion that photographic history is bestseen as the explosion of a Western technology advanced by the work ofsingular individuals. This collection presents a radically differentaccount, describing photography as a globally disseminated and locallyappropriated medium. Essays firmly grounded in photographicpractice—in the actual making of pictures—suggest theextraordinary diversity of nonwestern photography

Richly illustrated with over one hundred images, Photography’s OtherHistories explores from a variety of geographic, cultural, andhistoric perspectives the role of photography in raising historicalconsciousness. It includes two first-person pieces by indigenousAustralians and one by a Seminole/Muskogee/Dine' artist. Some of theessays analyze representations of colonial subjects—from thelimited ways Westerners have depicted Navajos to Japanese photosrecording the occupation of Manchuria and from the changing nature ofthe "contract" between Aboriginal subjects and photographers to thesurprising range of cultural influences evident in the photographscolonialist F. R. Barton took in New Guinea in the late 1800s andearly 1900s. Focusing on photographic self-fashioning and thedevelopment of vernacular modernisms, other essays highlight thevisionary quality of much popular photography. Case studies centeredin early-twentieth-century Peru and contemporary India, Kenya, andNigeria chronicle the diverse practices that have flourished inpostcolonial societies. Photography’s Other Histories recasts popularphotography around the world, as not simply reproducing culture butcreating it.

Contributors. Michael Aird, Heike Behrend, Jo-Anne Driessens, JamesFaris, Morris Low, Nicolas Peterson, Christopher Pinney, RoslynPoignant, Deborah Poole, Stephen Sprague, Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie,Christopher Wright ... Read more

Product Description
Since its invention in 1839, photography has come to change not only the way we view the world, but the world itself. Every field—medicine, astronomy, journalism, art, geography, history—has been revolutionized by photography.

Now, spanning more than 166 years of photographic history and the work of more than 250 photographers, this comprehensive and global volume explores every aspect of photography-the newest inventions, revolutionary past, ever-changing technical and aesthetic developments, and the personal stories and styles of photographers worldwide. Illustrated with photographs from around the world, The Book of Photography is a beautiful and easy-to-use reference. Timelines summarize major milestones, while sidebars tell the human and technological stories behind them. Organized by subject, the book includes chapters on: Still Life, Cityscape, Architecture, Portraiture, Exploration, Ethnography, Wildlife, Photojournalism and Documents of Social Concern, Fashion and Advertising, plus a biographical dictionary of the major photographers, institutions, and key historical figures.

The authoritative book for those who want to increase their understanding and appreciation of photography, The Book of Photography is a wealth of knowledge to be treasured. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Photography book
The Book of Photography: The History, the Technique, the Art, the Future
This book is excellent, It has the history of Photography and many pictures from famous Photographers.I would recommend this book to anyone who wants information on Photography.

Photo Bible
This book is the bible to photography! Anyone passionate about photography, interested in its history, or who teaches it (like me) must have this book! It is full of colorful visuals and has very fascinating information. Well written and organized. Chock full of exciting info!

National geographic book of Photography
This book is a wonderful resource for anyone who is interested in photography. I learned how to tave a variety of photographs and the history of photography.

Great history book
This book is an excellent history of photography.It is not a book of "how-to". If you are looking for a concise and readable history, this is a good start.

The Book of Photography
What could be better than a book from the National Geographic Society that shows photos and how to take them? Great for a photography buff, or a magazine fan. ... Read more

Product Description
Photography's great success gives the impression that the majorquestions that have haunted the medium are now resolved. On thecontrary--the most important questions about photography are justbeginning to be asked. These fourteen essays, with over 200illustrations, critically examine prevailing beliefs about the mediumand suggest new ways to explain the history of photography. The essaysare organized around the questions: What are the social consequences ofaesthetic practice? How does photography construct sexual difference?How is photography used to promote class and national interests? Whatare the politics of photographic truth?

The Contest of Meaning summarizes the challenges to traditionalphotographic history that have developed in the last decade out of aconsciously political critique of photographic production. Contributionsby a wide range of important American critics reexamine the complex--andoften contradictory-- roles of photography within society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ouch, but Ahhh.
This book makes my brain hurt, but in a good way. Some of the essays are pretty tough to read as they are very deeply rooted in the world of art historical criticism, but don't let that stop you from getting this book; you'll learn a lot and come away with some good insights into the subject of photography and the history of photography. It would be very helpful to get a companion book that contains some of the artists and works that are discussed here, so you have the images to look at and non-critical, historical looks at the artists for background and context. Something like Beumont Newhall's "History of Photography" would be an excellent match. ... Read more

Product Description
Women have had a special relationship with the camera since the advent of photographic technology in the mid-nineteenth century. Photographers celebrated women as their subjects, from intimate family portraits and fashion spreads to artistic photography and nude studies, including Man Ray's Violon d'Ingres. Lesser known--and lesser studied--is the history of women photographers, who continue to make invaluable contributions to this flourishing art form.

A lengthy study with 416 pages and more than 300 illustrations, A History of Women Photographers is the only survey of women photographers working in the past three centuries, and it is impressively comprehensive. In this edition author Naomi Rosenblum expands the book's coverage, including new photographers and fifteen new images. There are several important revisions throughout the text and to the appendix of photographer biographies. Rosenblum also provides a new Afterword, in which she evaluates the influence of rapidly changing digital technology on the field of photography and how women photographers stand in the twenty-first century.

A History of Women Photographers is a momentous contribution to the study of photography--and an important addition to any shutterbug's library.

324 illustrations, 38 in full color ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

text book
This book is in better condition than described. It was shipped and received promptly. Thanks

Important and beautiful
This book deserves all of the praise it has earned. Dr. Rosenblum is passionately involved in the art and craft of photography. She has a world view that she puts to great use here. One of the best and most respectful things about this survey, aside from its obvious profusion of well-chosen photographs and the assured and authoritative commentary, is the effectiveness of Dr. Rosenblum's knowing method of assemblage. In the arrangement of these photographs there is ample room for readerly associations, emotions, and thought. The commentary, both in form and content, reinforces this. We are in the hands of a gifted teacher, in fact. Whether it is a series of photos of human hands, folds of clothing, leaves, children's faces, natural forms - the reader is taken on a deeply affecting, associative journey, and the results run deep. This is in addition to this book's obvious workhorse usefulness as a terrific reference work.

One hundred pages at the book's end are devoted to notes, careful and thorough biographies of the photographers, a selected bibliography, and an index. The production values are first-rate.A wonderful book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Classic
It's a classical collection helpful not only to the people who are associated with world of photography but also to the social science and visual anthropology.

Great essays.
Just happened to have this collection of essays when I needed source material for an essay I was writing. Highly informative.

A great intro to photo theory and criticism
All photographers should read this book once. Starts with Daguerre. Mostly crit and theory by the artists themselves. Very good selection, enjoyable reading, goes fast. Should be required reading in every art school that teaches photography. Not for advanced theorists-it's an introduction to photo theory and crit-but it's a good one!

Nice introduction to the primary sources in the history of photography
Although Trachtenberg's collection has been around for awhile (since 1980), it provides a very nice selection of primary source materials on the history of photography. If you want to know what people were actually thinking and saying about photography during its first 140 years or so, you can find it here. In addition, Trachtenberg's introductions to the selections are quite good--not showy or promoting some particular intellectual hobby horse, but solid and factual and useful to students--I've been studying the topic for years and have found very few factual errors or questionable judgments in his material. The main limitation is that the book stops in the 1970s, so, for my course in history of photography I have to provide additional materials for the recent developments, such as digital photography and the relations between photography and computing and the internet. The only other common item somewhat like this is Goldberg's "Photography in Print," which costs twice as much and, although it is more complete, is not twice as good, at least for the purposes of students in a first course in history of photography. My students can pick up a copy of Trachtenberg for a few dollars used, not much more new, and they've responded well to the selection of readings. Some minor downsides: there is no index, and the individual readings don't give the date of publication (though this is generally available in the "Sources" section at the end of the book). In short, within its limitations, this is an excellent source book, and a bargain in an age of obscene textbook pricing. ... Read more

Product Description
Assembling the most influential and engaging photographs taken since the beginning of the 19th Century, Michel Frizot seamlessly weaves them into a visual and textual narrative which documents photography's evolution from daguerreotype to digital.Amazon.com Review
One can only imagine the amazement felt by L.J.M. Daguerre, when, in the summer of 1839, he gazed upon the first photograph ever made. An image of the view from his Paris apartment of the bustling Boulevard du Temple, it was remarkably detailed yet mysteriously vacant, save for a single man in the distance who appeared to be having his boots polished; the rest of the passersby evaded capture due to the necessarily long exposure. And thus began the world-shaking practice of photography. A New History of Photography was created after the French Ministry of Culture observed that there were no books produced in France that addressed the history of the art form. Rather than present the standard chronological survey, this book's creators chose to produce a volume that would encompass photography's historical evolution as well as its role in society.

Editor Michel Frizot writes a substantial portion of the text, along with 29 additional authors who offer a plethora of analytical information and a wide variety of points of view. Periods, social practice, contextual analysis, historical questions, influential innovations, and aesthetic turning points are explored around themes ranging from chemistry to the snapshot, ethnography to color printing, evidence to advertising, and much, much more. This ambitious book includes many images not familiar to an American audience, offering a fascinating visual smorgasbord that demonstrates the breadth of applications and interpretations that photography has seen from its very inception. Put simply, it is a book about why people take photographs and what photographs can do. At a whopping 776 pages, this weighty volume has something for everyone. --A.C. Smith ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The most complete and impartial history of photography
This is the most complete, impartial and accurate book on History of Photography. It tells everything about almsot every area of photography. It's a great learning tool. Ideal for those who are making photography courses simply curious

A Full View of Photography
The New History of Photography is just that as it breaches the subjects of the commercialization of photography, not as a demeaning factor, but as an evolutionary factor showing that even those in the pantheon of photography / artists contributed to this evolution.
The other thing is that it shows a larger world view of photography and features great essays on Czech and Japanese photographers while also mentioning large and small movements or groups from western Europe, Russia and the United Sates of America.
This book is a treasure trove of images printed in good quality that are hard to find.This is a must buy for any scholar of photography history and any student of photography that wants to understand how photography has reached where it is and how one is part of a very diverse form of art.

A HISTORY OF EVOLUTION
Yes, we all love Avedon, Bourke-White, Capa, Doisneau, etc. But do we all understand how photography evolved from gelatine andsilver plates, to Man Ray and then Newton? If you want to have a general perpective of the history of photography, and access to wonderful pictures not previosly divulged to the general public, I would recommend this comprehensive and well organized book

"New History" very, very comprehensive.
This is a lot of book.A lot, a lot of book.It's essays are well written to be easily accessible, clearly showing that the contributors understand and are passionate about photography.Clever thematic contentallows you to browse at topics that interest you rather than get lost in astrictly chronological rendition of photography's development.The essaysdeftly weave together the various influences on the medium as it mutatedover time.But best of all are the hundreds of photos, many that neither Inor other professional photographers I know have ever seen publishedelsewhere.Serious photographers are interested in the development ofphotographic representation.This book is the ideal place to begin to getto grips with that whole fascinating topic.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
A history of modern American photography surveys major developments in photographic theory, trends, method, and style, as well as the works of noted American photographers, from 1945 to the present. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The vision since 45
I recently reviewed Peter Turner's: American Images: Photography 1945-1980 and I mentioned that his and this book have been very useful to me as reference about photography since 1945.Green's book is in a different editorial format than Turner's because it is essentially a photographic narrative backed up with photos.`American Images' is a visual reference to eighty-two photographers.

Though Green's book was published in 1984 it is a thorough look back at trends and personalities that shaped this particular creative art.Nicely, he covers aspects of photography that tend to be ignored in more conventional overviews: there are chapters on the painter as photographer (Rauschenberg, Warhol, Ruscha etc) as printmaker (Michals, Misrach, Heinecken or Michael Lesy) writers on photography (Sontag and of course Szarkowski) and the MoMA Family of Man exhibit gets a chapter.

The design of the book is a bit different from other photo histories.Here the images (332 in color and mono) referred to in the text all run across the middle of each spread, about the size of a playing card, so they are not presented as photos to savor like Turner's `American Images'.The bibliography and index are as comprehensive as one would need.

I've always enjoyed using this book and the impressively low prices for it on the net (new ones, too) make it a real bargain.

***SEE SOME INSIDE SPREADS by clicking 'customer images' under the cover. ... Read more

Product Description
This landmark book, a monumental chronicle of thephotographic genre created from the chaotic energy of everyday streetlife, grew out of a fifteen-year collaboration between an esteemedcurator and a distinguished photographer. The work of such celebratedmasters as Atget, Stieglitz, Cartier-Bresson, Brassaï, Walker Evans,Robert Frank, and Garry Winogrand are presented here, along withextraordinary photographs by complete unknowns. Colin Westerbeck'senlightening text illuminates each of these images, and a newillustrated afterword by Westerbeck, only available in this paperbackedition, examines contemporary street photography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

About This Book...and the Table of Contents
A quality piece of work from Bulfinch (Little, Brown.) Green cloth over hardback boards with a sewn binding in dustcover; 430 pp; approximately 300 b&w illustrations.

Indexed, 3 pp of End Notes, and a 10 p Bibliography.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part One: Eugene Atget & the 19th Century
- Before Photography
- In the Beginning
- The View from Abroad
- Busmen's Holidays
- Art for Art's Sake
- Documents for Artists

Part Two: Cartier-Bresson & Europe in the 20th Century
- Children of the Century
- The Decisive Photographer
- Hungarian Rhapsody
- Foreign Correspondents
- The Fourth Estate

Part Three: Walker Evans & America Before the War
- Social Uplift
- Collective Vision
- American Classic

Part Four: Robert Frank & America Since the War
- Displaced Persons
- Naturalized Citizens
- An American in Paris
- In the American Grain
- The Chicago School
- Still Going

Too many words, not enough images
This book is more of a written history of street photography than a visual history.Too much space is given up to text, and there aren't enough images to satisfy.

Nevertheless, the book is an interesting read, or should I say an interesting skim.I skimmed through the text, stopping to read interesting bits here and there.Had those interesting bits been retained, much of the rest of the text eliminated and more images included, it would be a 5-star book.

One other comment is that the emphasis is on American street photography, to the point that some notable non-American street photographers are excluded completely.

street photography descibed in detail
A history of street photography described in both text and photos. The authors are well knowledged in the field and provide a very well layed out book that is enjoyable to read. A great coffee table book.

it's the photos...
BYSTANDER embraces the social & cultural history of street photography. It touches upon the works of master photographers, yet leaves out so much about the actual photographs.

Trying to follow Meyerowitz's & Westerbeck's conversation, both obviously deeply emotional about the subject of street photography, simply went over my head in a rush of technical details & passionate positing as to why which photographer did what.

It is, however, the photographs in BYSTANDER that draw you back, again & again. The earliest ones that beg to have been enlarged, so rich in texture & composition; the later ones with their implicit social commentaries.

When we say that a picture is worth a thousand words, we're not kidding! Each & every photograph, even those that I couldn't make head nor tail, tell stories of our predecessors' lives & times, letting social history unravel before our eyes.

BYSTANDER is for everyone who loves to look at the past - the everyday, angular, shadow & light city past, through the window of a camera.

well done...
first off, the authors do a fine job presenting to the reader an insightful history of street photography. they especially succeeded in explaining (or at least theorizing) how the various photographers came to create their respective photographic styles by finding sources of influence in modern art, architecture, and of course each other.
although there are other reviewers who believe the authors didn't give enough credit to hcb for shaping street photography into what it is today, it is important to note that even in the chapters which focus on the american photographers hcb is continuously cited as a major influence. just remember that this book is a history of street photography, not a bio of hcb!
i also agree with the reviewer who thought the photo placement within the book was a little inconvenient at times. but that minor problem does in no way detract from the overall value of such an insightful look at the history of street photography. enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Seizing the Light: A Social History of Photography provides a thought-provoking, accurate, and accessible introduction to the photographic arts for all readers. With stunning images and commentary by hundreds of international artists, the text clearly and concisely provides the building blocks necessary to critically explore photographic history from the photographers' eye, an aesthetic point of view. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Book not in new condition!!
Amazon needs to contribute a partial refund on this book. It is not pristine new condition. The covers are dog eared and bent up. Being used as a reference book, I am sorely disappointed I was sent a lightly damaged copy when I had paid for a brand new, pristine copy. Damage to a paper cover is simply not acceptable when one purchases new.

Needing to read it, I did not have the time allowance to send it back to be replaced.

A great resource!
Gave me insights and information greatly needed to improve my photographic expression. A must for your artistic education.

Fine survey
As a text, this is beneficial. One caveat being the pictures do not live up to a fine print of the work. Many pictures that can take your breath away, are not impressive here. A great place to start.

Photo Book
This book is a one of a kind unique book. Amazon delivers with such care and the used books are like brand new. And to top it off it's really cheap :) Better than your school's sudent stores. I recomend Amazon to everyone who wants to buy books for college students.

Required College Photog Class Book
Using this book in my Photography History class. Very well done and was a great choice for our text by my professor.
I will be keeping this book in my library for times to come. Great reference to history of PHOTOGRAPHY!! Amazon has the best prices going, about 45% lower than our on-campus book store...

V/R

Kent M Whitney ... Read more

Product Description
Photography After Conceptual Art presents a series of original essays that address substantive theoretical, historical, and aesthetic issues raised by post-1960s photography as a mainstream artistic medium 

• Appeals to people interested in artist's use of photography and in contemporary art  
• Tracks the efflorescence of photography as one of the most important mediums for contemporary art 
• Explores the relation between recent art, theory and aesthetics, for which photography serves as an important test case 
• Includes a number of the essays with previously unpublished photographs
• Artists discussed include Ed Ruscha, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Douglas Huebler, Mel Bochner, Sherrie Levine, Roni Horn, Thomas Demand, and Jeff Wall