Category Archives: Photography Histories

A Narrative of Paradigms

American Photography by Miles Orvell, Oxford History of Art Series. In his introduction, Miles Orvell sets out a challenge for himself: to tell the history of photography in America as “a narrative of successive paradigms, rather than a string of … Continue reading

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Oxford History’s thought-provoking review of photography

The Photograph by Graham Clarke The Photograph by Graham Clarke is the first of three planned books on photography in the Oxford History of Art series. The second is American Photography by Miles Orvell, which I’ll review at a later … Continue reading

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An accessible and entertaining history

A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum. Don’t be intimidated by Naomi Rosenblum’s 640-page history of photography. It’s surprisingly accessible and unpretentious. It’s a long, but easy, read for anyone who wants to understand photography and photographers in context. … Continue reading

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Buy this book and then read it again and again

The Nature of Photographs by Stephen Shore It’s hard to find good books that explore the nature of photography that are actually written by photographers. Stephen Shore is a modern master of photography. His book, The Nature of Photographs, proves … Continue reading

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A Great, but Spectacularily Misnamed Book

How to Read a Photograph by Ian Jeffrey Ian Jeffrey’s survey of master photographers is thorough and thoughtful, even if the contents have little to do with the title. The book, published by Harry N. Abrams in 2008, is actually … Continue reading

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A Varied Collection

Photo:Box edited by Roberto Koch I’m not exactly sure what to say about Photo: Box (Abrams, 2009). Certainly it is an interesting and eclectic collection, well-printed and nicely designed. It is laid out with an image on the right side … Continue reading

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