Customers say
Customers find the book has interesting information about photography and art. They say it provides good value for money and is a great history of photography book.
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A quick rundown of this product’s key features:
The fifth edition of this indispensable history of photography spans the history of the medium, from its early development to current practice, and providing a focused understanding of the cultural contexts in which photographers have lived and worked throughout, this remains an all-encompassing survey.
Mary Warner Marien discusses photography from around the world and through the lenses of art, science, travel, war, fashion, the mass media and individual photographers. Professional, amateur and art photographers are all represented, with ‘Portrait’ boxes devoted to highlighting important individuals and ‘Focus’ boxes charting particular cultural debates. Mary Warner Marien is also the author of 100 Ideas that Changed Photography and Photography Visionaries.
New additions to this ground-breaking global survey of photography includes 20 new images and sections on advances in technology and the influence of social media platforms. An essential text for anyone studying photography.
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Yesenia Hernandez
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very good!
Review: So much that I learned about photography and art, great book!
Reviewer: kat
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: giant!!
Review: this is a seriously hefty book but the information and pictures are interesting
Reviewer: alyosha
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent, but little changed from 4th edition
Review: I’m a big fan of this work, which to me is in very close running with Robert Hirsch’s Seizing the Light as the best history of photography (that is centered on the euro/american story). I’m far from alone in holding it in such high regard, so i won’t list its strengths.Why not 5 stars? Because the 5th edition is so little changed from the 4th. *The introduction thru chapter 13 are precisely the same.* There are very minor changes to the preface, epilogue, timeline, etc. But the only major change is in the last chapter, from which about 14 accumulated pages of material have been removed and replaced with 13 pages of new material — roughly half the chapter — along with some reshuffling. And while some of the new material is up to standard, some of it is not. Worst, and easiest to describe, is an entire info-box-style page on the selfie: a short uninformative paragraph that states the obvious, that photographers have always taken pictures of themselves; a pointless snapshot of a person taking a selfie; and mostly empty space. Why good material from the previous edition was removed to make room for this is hard to understand. And overall there’s not much change considering there were 7 1/2 years between editions — BTW during which time (among other things one might point out, and forgive the personal view here) the very concept of what is a “photograph” and how they are received have been going through a fundamental change with the advent of ubiquitous and cheap software allowing even amateurs to quickly composite, clone out, replace skies, etc, with those changes undetectable to all but the closest inspection, and performed on snapshots posted to social media by the millions.But i’m still giving it 4 stars, and not just for the overall quality of the contents. Another factor that allows me to recommend the 5th edition is that it is less expensive than the 4th and is printed on sturdier material. (I wonder if the desire to reprint and remarket was the driver for the new edition, which would explain the far from thorough revision.) If the price and physical quality had remained the same, there would be more reason for a student to hesitate in getting the 5th over a used 4th edition; but as things are, if one must pick, the 5th edition is clearly the one to get.But i must say — and i mean no disrespect to Prof. Marien, who is doubtless busy with other scholarly tasks — the 5th edition of her excellent work does not reflect 7 1/2 years of rethinking the history of photography, nor how to present it, nor its latest developments. A missed opportunity.
Reviewer: Avery Greene
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: love it!
Review: I had to get this for my history of photography class and I love it! It’s a great textbook and a coffee table book. I bought the first edition, we use the 4th (I believe) in class so I thought I had to return it.. turns out the instructor said it’s not much of a difference so I’m glad I got to keep it! Price was much more affordable then the college book store. Seller worked very very well with me. Quick and easy delivery!
Reviewer: Christie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Best Photography Book!
Review: Just love this Photography book! It is definitely worthy of being added to any Photographer’s collection!
Reviewer: Estelle Quayle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Five Stars
Review: Great book with a lot of photographs and information about the history of photography
Reviewer: Marie O
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Bought for Class
Review: Bought this a couple of years ago for a college course I was taking my Freshman year. Had a lot of interesting information and of course great photography!
Reviewer: mama b
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: excellent resource!
Review: i had to buy this for class, and for once it isn’t a “textbook” ! finally an art textbook that doubles as a coffee table book, and one you can read. very good text – easy, and not too “academic.” highly recommend.
Reviewer: Doctor Donna
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I bought this when my school book shop ran out. Paid way too much for it to arrive after exams. Ah well. Student life. Still a good reference book.
Reviewer: Kate
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This was my go to book during my commercial photography degree. There was great photographs as well as background information that was very much useful.
Reviewer: Roxy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: History for what ever subject is very relaxing to read, and if you study Arts and especially Photography history, this is a book to have and help with writing essays.Totally recomended
Reviewer: Sanjid Anik
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: If you are a photographer or photo enthusiast, you should have this book in your collection. Brief cultural history !!
Reviewer: Ruud
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: O.K. But I didn’t have time to read the complete book yet.
Price effective as of Mar 16, 2025 06:41:40 UTC
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