This is simply an outstanding book. I was prepared to find it interesting but rather dry; instead, I devoured it. Newhall covers the entire history of photography, from the early camera obscura and camera lucida devices used as an aid to drawing, through the daguerreotype and a number of other early photographic processes I’d never heard of before, all the way through the 1970’s. In addition to the technology and the people behind it, he discusses a vast number of individual photographers, different kinds of photography (portrait, nature, street, photo-journalism, and so on), and fine art photography and its different periods. And of course the book is full of outstanding photographs.

To write well, one must read widely (so as to know what good prose looks like) and then practice assiduously. Photography is similar, except that studying good photographs takes the place of reading widely. The difficulty, as with any new subject, is knowing where to start. My usual strategy is to find a book that will give me an overview, to serve as a foundation for my further reading. The best thing such an overview can do is help me identify precisely which subtopics and authors are likely to interest me.

For photography, this book fits the bill remarkably well; and I gather I’m not alone in thinking so–now that I’ve read it, I’m seeing references to both the book and its author all over the place. If you’ve any interest in photography as an art form, it’s well worth your time.