f o t o b i b l i o g r a f i c a

f o t o b i b l i o g r a f i c a . . .

is a collection of lists of art photography monographs, organized by photographer. At the moment there are bibliographies for forty photographers, with more to come. The lists are generally limited to art books, either created by the individual photographer, or devoted to their work. Anthologies with the works of several photographers, studies of movements or periods, and so on, are not included. I've attached the inevitable Amazon links for many of the books listed, both for those currently in-print and for out-of-print copies offered for sale by dealers or individuals. Many dealers in out-of-print books now list through Amazon as well as other sites.

The photobook in photography is undeservedly slighted in favour of the fine art print, and publication runs for artist photography books are unusually small. But the photobook is much more than a set of art reproductions like the many coffee table books on Renoir or Van Gogh. Often it is conceived and designed by the photographer as the main expository format for a particular project or series. It may also be conceived as an interaction between the photographs and the text portions, which are sometimes poetry. Many photobooks stem from exhibition catalogues but go well beyond mere cataloguing, and many more are publishers' books intended to showcase a photographer's work, supplemented with critical apparatus, essays, and biographical sketches.

Nor is there any reason to sneer at the quality of the photographic reproduction in photobooks. Some mechanical reproduction processes like gravure and collotype are capable of producing high quality images in print, and while it's rare, some books actually do come with art prints tipped in. By the same token, many of the most iconic and reknowned photographs were first published in magazines or even newspapers, and have become familiar to viewers through relatively poor quality reproduction. Yet the power of some of these photos, those of Henri Cartier-Bresson or Bill Brandt for example, seems to transcend the fate of poor reproduction. Only a relatively small number of people will be able to attend exhibitions, and the photobook remains the primary means of diffusion for all varieties of serious photography.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please email me. When I'm not making bibliographies I sometimes actually get out there and take a few photos, some of which can be seen at cvfoto.ca. Other interests include piano, troubadours, and editing. --Claudio