Being completely clueless about photographers and the development of photography as a means of artistic expression and document, finding this book is like striking gold.

The book is very elegantly designed and laid out.  It is divided into nine chapters organized around various photobook themes.  The first three chapters starts with photobooks from America, Europe and the “Rest of the World” citing important differences and pre-occupations in these different cultures.  The remaining six chapters are less geographically based and more theme oriented.

The chapters start with a few introductory pages to set the scene before delving into the photobooks themselves which are presented in either one, two or three photobooks per spread.

Each photobook feature is comprised of page previews, a caption with some basic book info, and a short blurb about the significance of the book.  This catalogue of photobooks approach makes for a good compliment to your more standard textbooks such as “A World History of Photography”.

Here’s some more info on Amazon:

The Photobook: A History, Vol. 1
The Photobook: A History, Vol. 2
A World History of Photography