# Good books about photography or photographers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-books-about-photography-or-photographers/415722 "2007-08-15T20:13:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-books-about-photography-or-photographers/415722/1 "2007-08-15T20:13:37Z")
Any recommendations? I’m getting progressively more involved in taking pictures, and have plenty of recommendations for how-to guides. I’d like to know what books about photography as an art form, or the history of photography, or particular movements, or specific photographers, are worth checking out. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-books-about-photography-or-photographers/415722/2 "2007-08-15T20:35:21Z")
One book that’s worth getting is [The Photography Book](http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37987990) – it has one picture each from hundreds of photographers, so you can see a wide variety of styles. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-books-about-photography-or-photographers/415722/3 "2007-08-16T02:17:48Z")
[Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs](http://www.amazon.com/Examples-Making-Photographs-Ansel-Adams/dp/082121750X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6756574-4420103?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187230044&sr=8-1) by Ansel Adams. One of my all-time favourites. It works equally well as coffee table art book, history and philosophy text (“The negative is the score and the print is the performance”), a series of case-studies, and how-to manual all rolled into one. Particularly fascinating if you’re into landscape photography (like me), although his insights on film and developing are rapidly becoming obsolete in the digital world. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-books-about-photography-or-photographers/415722/4 "2007-08-16T03:09:38Z")
[Galen Rowell’s Vision](http://www.amazon.com/Galen-Rowells-Vision-Adventure-Photography/dp/0871563576/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/104-8148649-0555922?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187233576&sr=8-4). Beyond the wonderful images and stories, he turned me on to the wonderful little Yashica T4. And he died too soon. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-books-about-photography-or-photographers/415722/5 "2007-08-16T21:03:21Z")
Thanks. These are awesome suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-books-about-photography-or-photographers/415722/6 "2007-08-16T21:05:18Z")
_The Family of Man_ was a great collection of photos from all over the world, showing everyone from African tribesmen to white-collar execs in Manhattan. Came out in the late 1950s, IIRC, and is still in print. Well worth a look.