The Photography Book [Paperback]

The concept for this book is simple: 500 photographers, 500 pages. Arranged alphabetically, each of the photographers--from contemporary Dutch cameraman Hans Aarsman to mid-century New York shutterbug James Van Der Zee--gets a full, oversized page. On it is a large, expertly reproduced image and a concise caption packed with information about the photographer and his or her work. The coincidental alignment of photos of different eras and aesthetic sensibilities provides unusual and exciting contrasts that add an extra dimension to readers' perception of the work. Rineke Dijkstra's color-saturated shot of a bikini-clad beachgoer in South Carolina faces a Mike Disfarmer portrait of a rural Arkansas couple in 1943. Imogen Cunningham's inimitable Nude is here, along with a more surprising image--My Mother, Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, a color-photo collage by painter David Hockney. With iconic photographs like Alfred Eisenstaedt's shot of a sailor and a nurse kissing in Times Square on V-J Day, historic ones like Larry Burrows's shot of wounded U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, and pop images like David LaChapelle's picture of a bodybuilder posing amid a cluster of little boys aping his stance, the scope of this visual encyclopedia is truly epic. And with its incredibly low price tag, there's no better value out there for fans of photography. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

The concept for this book is simple: 500 photographers, 500 pages. Arranged alphabetically, each of the photographers--from contemporary Dutch cameraman Hans Aarsman to mid-20th-century New York snap-happy James Van Der Zee--gets a full, oversized page. On it is a large, expertly reproduced image and a concise caption packed with information about the photographer and his or her work. The coincidental alignment of photos of different eras and aesthetic sensibilities provides unusual and exciting contrasts that add an extra dimension to readers' perception of the work. Rineke Dijkstra's colour-saturated shot of a bikini-clad beachgoer in South Carolina faces a Mike Disfarmer portrait of a rural Arkansas couple in 1943. Imogen Cunningham's inimitable Nude is here, along with a more surprising image--My Mother, Bolton Abbey, and Yorkshire, a colour-photo collage by painter David Hockney.

With iconic photographs like Alfred Eisenstaedt's shot of a sailor and a nurse kissing in Times Square, New York on V-J Day, historic ones like Larry Burrows' shot of wounded US soldiers in Vietnam, and pop images like David LaChapelle's picture of a bodybuilder posing amid a cluster of little boys aping his stance, the scope of this visual encyclopedia is truly epic. And with its incredibly low price tag, there's no better value out there for fans of photography. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

When The Photography Book was first published in 1997 it was widely acclaimed as the most important reference book ever on its subject. This new mini edition has all the visual energy and compelling insights of the original, but in a light and truly portable format, making it ideal both for dipping into and for using as a serious sourcebook. Its 500 superb images represent the world's best photographers and encompass every sort of photography, from pictures of famous events, such as the Royal Wedding and the first landing on the moon, to familiar shots by masters of photography such as Bill Brandt and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Fashion, sport, natural history, reportage and society portraiture are all represented, as well as social documentary and art, and the host of talented names, ranging from William Henry Fox Talbot to David Bailey and Diane Arbus, spans the whole history of photography.

Arranged alphabetically by photographer, each full-page image is accompanied by an illuminating text which gives a useful insight into the work and its creator, as well as extensive cross-references to others working in the same field or the same style. Glossaries of technical terms and movements and a directory of museums and galleries are included in the back of the book to provide a fully comprehensive and self-contained volume.

Ian Jeffrey lectured and was the head of art history at the University of London Goldsmiths' College between 1970 and 1987. His other books include The Concise History of Photography (1981) and The British Landscape 1920-1950 (1984). He has organized various photographic exhibitions, amongst them 'The Real Thing' at the Hayward Gallery in 1974 and 'Landscape in Britain 1850-1950', which was held at the Hayward in 1983. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.