All Guides: History of Photography (HIST 17545) : Books

Books

Why Books?

Academic books provide comprehensive background information that helps you explore various topics related to the history of photography. Discover:

Key movements of photography
Technological advancements
Influential photographers in different decades
Cultural, social and political contexts
Theoretical perspectives and critical viewpoints

Essentially, understanding the context of a topic helps you develop a good research thesis and find relevant resources. Books are also helpful for finding primary sources such as essays written by photographers.

Explore library books on:

Selected Books on the History of Photography

The Concise Focal Encyclopedia of Photography by Michael Peres (Editor)
ISBN: 1136101810
Publication Date: 2014
Covers the technical origins and evolution of photography, as well as the cultural forces that have shaped its diverse practices. With over 25 entries and supporting illustrations, the book examines key figures, trends, and ideas in photography. It also addresses contemporary issues like ethics, digitization, and commercialization.
Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography, 3-Volume Set by Lynne Warren (Editor)
ISBN: 9781579583934
Publication Date: 2006
Explores the global scope of twentieth-century photography, covering its aesthetic evolution, technological advancements, and cultural impact. It details key developments, movements, photographers, institutions, and theories, along with equipment, techniques, and practical applications.
Global Photography by Erina Duganne; Heather Diack; Terri Weissman
ISBN: 1003085482
Publication Date: 2020
Presents the history of photography through thematically structured chapters. Each chapter introduces contemporary international photographers and contextualizes their work historically. Covering key genres, theories, and debates, topics include Description and Abstraction, Truth and Fiction, The Body, Landscape, War, Politics of Representation, Form, Appropriation, Museums, The Archive, The Cinematic, and Fashion Photography.
The History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present by Beaumont Newhall (By (photographer))
ISBN: 9780870703812
Publication Date: 1982
First published in 1937, this scholarly chronicle by Beaumont Newhall is considered a classic in the history of photography. It uniquely relates the aesthetic evolution of photography to its technical innovations with clarity and enthusiasm. Featuring over 300 works by master photographers like Talbot, Cameron, Stieglitz, Lange, and Cartier-Bresson, the book comprehensively covers significant trends since 1839.
The Photograph by Graham Clarke
ISBN: 9780192842008
Publication Date: 1997
Explores how we read photographs, discussing major themes and genres. He provides a clear account of photography's historical development and insights from thinkers like Roland Barthes and Susan Sontag. The book's core is Clarke's groundbreaking examination of key subjects—landscape, the city, portraiture, the body, and reportage—analyzing exemplary images in their cultural and ideological contexts.
Photography: A Cultural History (5th ed.) by Mary Warner Marien
ISBN: 9780205988945
Publication Date: 2015
Offers a comprehensive, kaleidoscopic account of photography's history, incorporating the latest research and international perspectives. It surveys the medium's developments within historical and cultural contexts, showing how photography has sharpened our world perception. The 4th edition includes new material and expanded topics, notably adding extensive content on the history of photography in China from the nineteenth century to the present.
A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum; Diana Stoll (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9780789213440
Publication Date: 2019
Traces the evolution of photography chronologically and thematically. It explores photography's roles in portraiture, documentation, advertising, and photojournalism, as well as its use as personal artistic expression.

*Note that Copilot was used to condense the book abstracts provided by the publishers.

Selected Books on the Theories and Criticism of Photography

Four Arts of Photography by Dominic McIver Lopes
ISBN: 1119053293
Publication Date: 2016
Offers a philosophical exploration of photography's history, presenting a fresh scholarly perspective for the 21st century. It re-evaluates art photography through four major movements and detailed case studies of key images. The book employs both theory-driven analysis and case-based examination, proposing a new theory of photography that integrates technology without pitting it against painting.
Illuminations: Women Writing on Photography from the 1850s to the Present by Liz Heron (Editor); Val Williams (Editor)
ISBN: 9780822317920
Publication Date: 1996
Features women's writings on photography, showcasing how their perspectives have shaped photographic criticism over 150 years. From Elizabeth Barrett Browning's thoughts on the daguerreotype to contemporary theoretical works by Jane Gallop, Coco Fusco, and Laura Mulvey, this anthology spans avant-garde movements like Dada and Bauhaus, fashion photography, documentary, feminist analysis, and postmodern and postcolonial criticism.
Photography, History, Difference by Tanya Sheehan (Editor)
ISBN: 1322333106
Publication Date: 2014
Examines how historical studies of photography have diversified, embracing cultural and disciplinary approaches beyond the Euro-American canon. This collection of essays, by an international group of scholars, reflects on the challenges and benefits of crafting a global versus regional or thematic history of photography. It explores how emphasizing geographic and national specificity may overlook other forms of difference like race, class, gender, and sexuality.
Subtext: Critiquing Individual Photographs within a Collective Consciousness by Andre Ruesch
ISBN: 1317502248
Publication Date: 2017
Explores personal, subjective responses to photographs and delves into their underlying motivations. This book aims to encourage and educate viewers how to read and understand photographs on a deeper level, honoring and validating their responses to photographs.
Understanding a Photograph by John Berger; Geoff Dyer (Editor)
ISBN: 9781597112567
Publication Date: 2013
John Berger's wide-ranging explorations of society, culture, and expression through various media—writing, films, collaborations, and performances—are unparalleled in their diversity and impact. This book compiles Berger's influential writings on photography, organized chronologically. This collection features essays from seminal works like "About Looking" and "Another Way of Telling," along with previously unpublished pieces discussing artists from August Sander to Jitka Hanzlová.