20 Must have books on/of photography... [Archive]

View Full Version : 20 Must have books on/of photography...

photorat

01-06-2008, 09:10

This is a call for RFF users to post their own personal list of "20 must-have photography books". Books may span all possible genres: photo books (portraits, landscapes, photojournalism, etc.), practical guides, studies in history/philosophy/aesthetics of photography, etc. The idea is to provide a nucleus for others looking to start or extend their own collections. (I'll post my own list in a seperate post.)

For the sake of uniformity, a couple of guidelines for posting:

a. Post a maximum of 20 books per list. If you want to split up the list into sub-lists per category (e.g. best practical guides, best portrait collections, best retrospectives, etc.) then limit each sub-list to 10 entries.

b. Format should be as follows:
Author surname, Author first name. Title. Location: Publisher, Year.
Publishing details are not essential but helpful for finding out-of-print items. e.g.:
1. Cartier-Bresson, Henri. Images à la sauvette. Paris: Verve, 1952.

c. By all means add comments in brackets after each entry, justifying its inclusion in the list, describing its particular importance to you personally... whatever.

DavidH

01-06-2008, 09:40

Salgado, Sebastiao. "Africa". Taschen 2007

(Buy it, read it, compare own photography, sell cameras, take up golf. ;)
Everyone has their favorites and opinions...as per other thread ongoing...but mine would be that HCB and Capa et al pale in comparison to this work.)

Rafael

01-06-2008, 09:48

Here, in no particular order, are ten books that come to my mind (great idea for a thread by the way):

Nachtwey, James. Inferno.

Webb, Alex. Crossings.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Workers.

Lindbergh, Peter. Images of Women.

Boot, Chris (ed.). Magnum Stories.

Mora, Gilles, and John T Hill (eds.). W. Eugene Smith: The Camera as Conscience.

Borcoman, James (ed.). Magicians of Light: Photographs from the Collection of the National Gallery of Canada.

Penn, Irving. Worlds in a Small Room.

Eisenstaedt, Alfred, and Arthur Goldsmith. The Eye of Eisenstaedt.

Cameron, Julia Margaret and Julian Cox (commentary). In Focus: Julia Margaret Cameron: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum.

rxmd

01-06-2008, 10:08

Here's some theory:

- Benjamin, Walter, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction ("Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit"). The 1936 German original was published as a little book. I'm not sure if this was ever published in book form in English; an on-line version of the text is available here (http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm).

- Bourdieu, Pierre, Photography: A Middle-Brow Art, Stanford: Stanford University Press 1990 ("Un Art moyen")

- Sontag, Susan, On Photography, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux 1977

And if you want photography in its wider context, the most brilliant theoretical introduction of all would probably be

- McLuhan, Marshall, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man; the original was I think published in 1964; the best edition is probably Corde Madera, CA: Gingko Press 2003.

Philipp

Roger Hicks

01-06-2008, 11:37

Haist, if you want to understand the technical theory.

Google 'Grant Haist' for the details.

Cheers,

R.

Dogman

01-06-2008, 13:45

nikonhswebmaster

01-06-2008, 14:02

As Charlie Brown might say, you guys are so serious, doesn't anyone buy Cindy Sherman
Lauri Simmons
etc?

rxmd

01-06-2008, 14:27

OK, Fred, here's one for you:

Leni van Dinther, Drukwerk, Nijmegen: Impuls Boek 1998.

Probably not one of the 10 greatest photo books of all time, but a nice counterweight.

Philipp

Disaster_Area

01-06-2008, 16:11

Probably one of the most inspirational books I've read in a long time, and very appropriate to this forum is :
The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing
by Philippe Gross

Made me really think about how and why I take pictures.

Bob Michaels

01-06-2008, 16:52

As Charlie Brown might say, you guys are so serious, doesn't anyone buy Cindy Sherman
Lauri Simmons
etc?

Cindy Sherman's "Movie Stills" is on my top 20 list.

Duane Michals "Real Dreams" would be as well.

Nan Goldin's "ballad of sexual dependency" may or may not be on my top 20 list. It sure would get consideration.

nikonhswebmaster

01-06-2008, 21:48

OK my list right off my shelf (what I actually spent my money on)

1) Cindy Sherman's "Movie Stills"
2) The World of Henri etc, you have to have on of his books
3) Thomas Demand MOMA 2005
3) Thomas Struth 1977 2002
4) Avant Garde Photography in Germany 1991-1939
5) Fashioning Fiction in Photography since 1990 MOMA
6) Jeff Wall Selected Essays and interviews MOMA
7) Nan G - the ballad etc
8) Diane Arbus Revelations
9) Girl Culture
10) Nick Waplington living Room

And pick up a copy of the new book Jean Baudrillard - Enrique Noailes - Exiles from Dialogue to know what you are doing.

**

RayPA

01-06-2008, 22:22

My list grows as time goes by. If I'm limited to 20, here's 20 of many (no particular order, just going by memory):

The Americans by Robert Frank

Walker Evans At Work

Deus ex Machina by Ralph Gibson

Personal Exposures by Elliott Erwitt

Andre' Kertesz: His Life and Work

Doisneau Paris

Ralph Eugene Meatyard, An American Visionary (published by the Akron Art Museum)

Henri Cartier-Bresson: Photographer

Emmet Gowin: Photographs

Friedlander by Peter Galassi

Paul Strand: Sixty Years of Photographs

The Daybooks of Edward Weston

Immediate Family by Sally Mann

William Eggleston's Guide

Georgia O'Keefe: A Portrait by Alfred Stieglitz

Josef Sudek: Poet of Prague

Winogrand: Figments of the Real World by John Szarkowski

Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph

Prague, 1968 by Josef Koudelka

Stray Dog by Daido Moriyama

(I had to delete a couple because I went over the limit.)

This /\ is a good list. I would probably pull two or three off this and maybe add an Avedon, Araki, Bill Owens' Suburbia, M.E. Mark's Exposure and change the Evans' to Hungry Eye, but this is a list I can get behind. I love Stray Dog.

.
OK my list right off my shelf (what I actually spent my money on)

1) Cindy Sherman's "Movie Stills"

One of the silliest books I've ever seen. Definitely NOT on my list.

.

Brennotdan

01-06-2008, 22:53

Dogman

01-07-2008, 04:33

As Charlie Brown might say, you guys are so serious, doesn't anyone buy Cindy Sherman
Lauri Simmons
etc?

The Complete Untitled Film Stills was one of the books on my list that I had to remove....along with Avedon and several others.

Twenty is just too few.

wintoid

01-07-2008, 05:33

The family of man, and even more so, the family of children. Without these, I wouldn't be taking pictures.

nikonhswebmaster

01-07-2008, 05:33

One of the silliest books I've ever seen. Definitely NOT on my list.

You might want to keep that to yourself. Or not, depending.

nikonhswebmaster

01-07-2008, 05:49

My current favorite:

Sultan, Larry. Pictures from Home. New York. Harry N Abrams (October
1992)

/\ Difficult to find, but worth the look (not the price of a used copy though!)

I also second The Tao of Photography

I have seen that a couple of times, it is an incredible book, but out of print. You do see copies from time to time on ebay, amazon and elsewhere however.

If I owned it I would have put it on my list.

Like "Girl Culture" or "Living Room" it is a real resource on learning to shoot what is around you. Those long lists including Paul Strand and the like, everyone should know them already. They are just built into our woodwork, it's like going to a bookstore and "discovering" a copy of J D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.

Regarding Susan Sontag, to paraphrase Yogi Bera: No one reads that book anymore, everyone owns it.

RayPA

01-07-2008, 06:00

You might want to keep that to yourself. Or not, depending.

yeah, the art police might come for me for expressing an opinion.

.

ClaremontPhoto

01-07-2008, 06:06

Magnum Stories

and

Magnum Landscape

nikonhswebmaster

01-07-2008, 06:21

yeah, the art police might come for me for expressing an opinion.

Ray I support your right to stand in front of MOMA with a sandwich board if you want.

"Repent, Cindy Sherman is Silly."

:)

RayPA

01-07-2008, 06:53

Ray you can stand in front of MOMA with a sandwich board if you want.

"Repent, Cindy Sherman is Silly."

Fred, change that to Cindy Sherman's Movie Stills is Silly. Let's not blur the line.

It still doesn't make my list of the "20 Must Have Books." I just won't recommend that someone spend their money on it like you did when there are so many other "must have" photo books out there.

.

J. Borger

01-07-2008, 07:32

nikonhswebmaster

01-07-2008, 07:55

Fred, change that to Cindy Sherman's Movie Stills is Silly. Let's not blur the line.

It still doesn't make my list of the "20 Must Have Books." I just won't recommend that someone spend their money on it like you did when there are so many other "must have" photo books out there.

.

Gezz it is only $23.97 on amazon.com with free shipping and no tax.

But if I was going to recommend saving money (which I never do) I would bypass owning the college reading list books, and just look at them at B&N or Borders, one afternoon with a cup of coffee.

I would suggest a minimum budget of $100 a month on photo books, for anyone new to the hobby, or if that is too expensive, 4 hours a month at the above mentioned book stores.

You don't have to own all these books, just look at them.

No matter what your final opinion of Cindy Sherman's Film Stills, it is important to know about it, if you are going to have discussions with other serious artists and photographers. That is why it belongs on the list. It's not like I am pushing the list to include people like Douglas Gordon, Cindy is important in the mainstream historical context of artists working with photography.

As I have said before, when I was a kid I thought I would like to be a photographer, but I no longer identify with that (I am not a bicycle racer either) but I only identify myself as an artist, who uses photography. The books I have chosen of course lean in that direction.

Not (deleted) artists.

:)

crawdiddy

01-07-2008, 08:09

I would add:

Avedon, Richard In the American West Portraits of the working class, and various drifters, carnys, mental patients, etc., made over a period of a couple of years.

robster180

01-07-2008, 08:15

here are a few of mine minus a fair few suggestions made by several of you already

Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape by Galen Rowell

Steam, Steel and Stars: America's Last Steam Railroad by O.Winston Link

Harm's Way by Joel Peter Witkin

ClaremontPhoto

01-07-2008, 08:20

Anybody anywhere near London should head for the Photographers' Gallery (near Leicester Square tube).

When I lived in London I had a membership which meant tickets to previews and chats with great photographers.

Wine, olives, talk to the photographer whose exhibition is featured this month...

RayPA

01-07-2008, 08:26

...

Clearly I am pushing a more content-centric way of thinking on this forum. I doubt I will be here forever, and I know I tend to be didactic, but my position of content over technical has a lot of merit for new photographers and artists.

:)

clearly? WTF are you talking about? How is selecting a Cindy Sherman book any different from selecting a Koudelka book as far as the "content over technical" argument goes? Let us gather at your feet while we still have the time here with you. Pompous windbag comes to mind. Looking forward to more enlightenment.

.

nikonhswebmaster

01-07-2008, 08:26

I thought i would add just one name .... a photographer getting very little attention on this forum ........ strange because he is one of the greatest streetphotographers ever ...!

Tom Wood: Photie Man
Steidl Verlag
ISNB 978-3865210838

Have a look....

http://www.steidlville.com/books/52-Photie-Man.html

His book "Bus odyssey" is also very good but hard to find and expensive by now!

That is really good work, great depth, most interesting because it is all in his neighborhood. I used to make my photo students use their camera only inside their own home because they needed to concentrate on one subject they actually knew and had access to, rather then running off to the nearest seedy neighborhood.

**

nikonhswebmaster

01-07-2008, 08:41

clearly? WTF are you talking about? How is selecting a Cindy Sherman book any different from selecting a Koudelka book as far as the "content over technical" argument goes? Let us gather at your feet while we still have the time here with you. Pompous windbag comes to mind. Looking forward to more enlightenment.

.

Ray you are being outrageously rude...

You write well on your blog, but calling anyone a "pompous windbag" is perhaps something you are wresting with? Looking at Koudelka or Sherman is not an issue of one or the other.

I have no idea who you are since your blog is anonymous, so I really have no way to know why you taking such a rude stance, but I suppose you are just as well forgotten.

********************

"I doubt I will be here forever" simply because I find that the forum is way too technically oriented, although fun when waiting for flash to render, or files to upload. It does put my head in a bad place at times regarding thinking about work. it is very easy to get sidetracked on equipment.

petronius

01-07-2008, 09:37

My personal must haves - a subjective list:
1)
Andre Kertesz
„Momente eines Lebens“
2)
Ernst Haas
„The Creation“
3)
Evans/Agee
„Let us now praise famous men“
4)
Diane Arbus
„The aperture monograph“
5)
Peter Keetmann
„Eine Woche im Volkswagenwerk“
6)
Robert Frank
„The Americans“
7)
Phaidon 55
„Joel Meyerowitz“
8)
David Douglas Duncan
„Picasso paints a portrait“
9)
Josef Sudek
„Poet of Prague“
10)
John Loengard
„Celebrating the negative“
11)
Inge Morath/Arthur Miller
„Country Life“
12)
Ralph Gibson
„Deus ex machina“
13)
Richard Avedon
„In the American West“
14)
Walker Evans
„America“
15)
Lee Friedlander
„Maria“
16)
Jerome Liebling
„The people, yes!“
17)
Robert Mapplethorpe
„Flowers“
18)
Friedrich Seidenstücker
„Der faszinierende Augenblick“
19)
Andreas Feininger
„Stone and man“
20)
Gabriele und Helmut Nothhelfer
„Lange Augenblicke“

pesphoto

01-11-2008, 08:57

Harry Callahan: The Photographer at Work
http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Callahan-Photographer-at-Work/dp/0300113323/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200070582&sr=1-2

jayjee

01-11-2008, 08:57

A History of Sex by Andres Serrano

I just picked up a copy at photo l.a. (www.artfairsinc.com/photola/2008) at the opening night last night. The book is amazing! Nothing to do with rangefinders but ya know..

PaulL

02-03-2008, 12:38

Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240808193/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202070934&sr=8-1

Photoshop Masking Compositing (Voices That Matter)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photoshop-Masking-Compositing-Voices-Matter/dp/0735712794/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071019&sr=8-1

PaulL

02-03-2008, 13:00

The Story of Art

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-Art-E-H-Gombrich/dp/0714832472/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071080&sr=8-1

Gregory Crewdson: 1985-2005

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gregory-Crewdson-1985-2005-Stephan-Berg/dp/377571622X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071213&sr=8-2

The Devil's Playground

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devils-Playground-Nan-Goldin/dp/0714842230/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071261&sr=8-9

Vitamin Ph: New Perspectives in Photography

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vitamin-Ph-New-Perspectives-Photography/dp/0714846562/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071307&sr=8-1

Martin Parr

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Martin-Parr-Val-Williams/dp/071484389X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071368&sr=8-1

Magnum Stories

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnum-Stories-Chris-Boot/dp/0714842451/ref=pd_bbs_6?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071413&sr=8-6

Image Makers, Image Takers: The Essential Guide to Photography by Those in the Know

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Image-Makers-Takers-Essential-Photography/dp/0500286620/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071516&sr=8-1

Koudelka

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Koudelka-Josef/dp/0500543267/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071606&sr=8-1

Francesca Woodman

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Francesca-Woodman-Chris-Townsend/dp/0714844306/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071697&sr=8-1

Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Propos De Paris

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Henri-Cartier-Bresson-Andre-Pieyre-Mandiargues/dp/0500280231/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071754&sr=8-31

Dicorcia Philip-Lorca

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dicorcia-Philip-Lorca-diCorcia/dp/1931885230/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071855&sr=8-4

Cindy Sherman : Retrospective

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cindy-Sherman-Retrospective-Amada-Cruz/dp/050027987X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202071906&sr=8-2

Hotel LaChapelle

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hotel-LaChapelle-David/dp/0821226363/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202072008&sr=8-2

Hackney Wick

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hackney-Wick-Stephen-Gill/dp/0954940520/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3_rsrssi1

Jeff Wall: Catalogue Raisonne 1978-2004

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jeff-Wall-Catalogue-Raisonne-1978-2004/dp/3865211364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202072153&sr=1-1

The Genius of Photography [Illustrated]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Genius-Photography-Gerry-Badger/dp/1844003639/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202072242&sr=1-1

The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography: 1 (Ansel Adams's Guide to the Basic Techniques of Photography)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ansel-Adams-Guide-Techniques-Photography/dp/0821225758/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202072301&sr=1-7

endustry

02-03-2008, 13:16

Leonard Freed "World View" -- probably the best single book of Leica photography that I own.

Jamie Pillers

02-03-2008, 13:21

When I need something to fight off a GAS attack, or when I'm feeling like "Why bother... all the great photography has been done", I pick up this wonderful little book. It cures all that ailes. :) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

"Plastic Cameras, Toying with Creativity" by Michelle Bates

newsgrunt

02-03-2008, 13:26

Don McCullin's Beirut-A City in Crisis

not really top 20 material but two I really like..

Paris-Photographs from a Time That Was

Phil and Me by Amanda Tetrault

shadowfox

02-04-2008, 11:07

Time-Life Books, "Library of Photography" series.

Yapp, Nick, "Decades of the 20th Century" series.

neelin

02-04-2008, 11:15

a couple of oldies but goodies for anyone that's ever been in the dark:

SUSSMAN, AARON The Amateur Photographer's Handbook
ADAMS, ANSEL The Negative

mhv

02-04-2008, 18:42

Artistic: those are probably not essentials, but I bet you won't be disappointed! Good artistic photobooks are those that speak to you, not just the canonical works.

Staring Back, Chris Marker
Shadow Chamber, Roger Ballen
Our True Intent is All for your Delight, the Butlin postcards, ed. Martin Parr
Transcanadienne, sortie 109, Lazon et Rajotte
Open Passport, John Max

If you really must have canonical works instead:
The Family of Man, MoMA
The Americans, Robert Frank
The Decisive Moment, HCB
Photographs, Lee Friedlander
Figments from the Real World, Gary Winogrand

Technical:

Modern Photographic Processing, Grant Haist
The Ansel Adams series: Camera - Negative - Print
Edge of Darkness, Barry Thornton
Post Exposure, Ctein
Film Developing Cookbook, Anchell and Troop
Photographer's Toning Book, Tim Rudman
Light, Science and Magic, Hunter et al.
Photoshop for Photographers, Martin Evening
The whole Kodak Encyclopedia of Practical Photography (20 vols)

Scholarly:

On Photography, Sontag
Camera Lucida, Barthes
A Middlebrow Art, ed. by Bourdieu
Photography theory, ed. James Elkins.
The Photographer's Eye, John Szarkowski
History of Photography, Beaumont Newhall

maggieo

02-11-2008, 10:56

Harry Callahan: The Photographer at Work
http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Callahan-Photographer-at-Work/dp/0300113323/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200070582&sr=1-2

I'll second that!

I love the Sherman book, too. Here's a few that haven't been mentioned, but I love:

Garry Winogrand- The Animals (http://www.amazon.com/Garry-Winogrand-Animals-John-Szarkowski/dp/0870706330/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202755874&sr=1-5) and Public Relations (http://www.amazon.com/Garry-Winogrand-Relations-Rachel-Whiteread/dp/0870706322/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202755874&sr=1-4).

Minor White: Rites And Passages (Aperture Monograph) (http://www.amazon.com/Minor-White-Passages-Aperture-Monograph/dp/0893814903/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202755964&sr=1-2)

Wright Morris- The Home Place (http://www.amazon.com/Home-Place-Wright-Morris/dp/0803282524/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202756007&sr=1-1)

Wright Morris: Photographs and Words (http://www.amazon.com/Wright-Morris-Photographs-James-Alinder/dp/0933286287/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202756007&sr=1-9) ed. James Alinder

The Daybooks of Edward Weston (http://www.amazon.com/Daybooks-Edward-Weston-Beaumont-Newhall/dp/0893814458/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202756130&sr=1-3)

crawdiddy

02-11-2008, 11:37

A History of Sex by Andres Serrano

I just picked up a copy at photo l.a. (www.artfairsinc.com/photola/2008 (http://www.artfairsinc.com/photola/2008)) at the opening night last night. The book is amazing! Nothing to do with rangefinders but ya know..

Cool. He's one of the guys who was demonized by Jesse Helms, George Bush and the religious right, isn't he? Probably worth checking out.

tom_uk

02-11-2008, 12:45

I'll toss in a mention of 'On Home Ground' by Dennis Thorpe, an english press photographer who also did his own stuff on the side. Not so much because of any extraordinary qualities of the picures (though I love them), but because unlike Cindy Sherman, Eggleston, Sally Mann etc, these were pictures that I could have taken, at places I've been to (frequently, in some cases) but that I simply hadn't seen....