Photography: A Cultural History (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Mary Warner Marien (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205708005 | ISBN-13: 978-0205708000 | Publication Date: January 17, 2010 | Edition: 3

For one or two semester courses in the History of Photography.

 

Mary Warner Marien has constructed a richer and more kaleidoscopic account of the history of photography than has previously been available. Her comprehensive survey shows compellingly how photography has sharpened, if not altered forever, our perception of the world.

 

The book was written to introduce students to photography. It does not require that students possess any technical know-how and can be taught without referring to techniques in photography. Incorporating the latest research and international uses of photography, the text surveys the history of photography in such a way that students can gauge the medium's long-term multifold developments and see the historical and intellectual contexts in which photographers lived and worked. It also provides a unique focus on contemporary photo-based work and electronic media.

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Here is the history we’ve been waiting for … erudite and entertaining … she shows how pictures really did change the world. Her shrewd selection of over 600 fascinating photos (many in color) illustrate a history that meets the ultimate test: open to any page and you’re hooked … and it’s free from tormenting academic jargon.’ Camera Arts

From the Back Cover

The third edition of this groundbreaking survey of international photography has not only been expanded and brought up to date but restructured to offer readers even greater clarity and ease of use. It now comprises 14 shorter chapters each with an introduction and brief summary. Chapters are grouped into six Parts which begin with an introduction to the time period.

            Photography is examined through the lenses of art, science, social sciences, travel, war, fashion, the mass media, and individual practitioners. These broad topics complement a fully developed cultural context whose emphasis is more key ideas than individuals. The author has further enriched the third edition with the findings of the most recent research and exhibitions. These include fresh insights into Victorian photography’s relationship to painting and to the expansion of the British Empire, as well as photography’s involvement in German and Russian experimental art movements between the World Wars. The author also draws on publications that show the extent to which vernacular photography existed alongside art and commercial practice. ‘Focus’ boxes highlight interesting cultural or controversial issues, for example ‘Film and Photography’, ‘Photomontage or Photocollage’, and ‘Making an Icon of Revolution’. In the revised final chapter, the author pays close attention to the impact of digital photography on photographic history and contemporary practice, particularly the ease and frequency with which people worldwide use digital cameras and camera phones.

            In addition to representing the canon of Europe and the United States, the book presents work from Latin America, Africa, India, Russia, China, and Japan. ‘Portrait’ boxes feature certain photographers in greater detail and new to this edition are works by contemporary artists including Vik Muniz, Suzanne Opton, Tyler Hicks, Walid Raad, Anthony Goicolea, and Jean-Luc Mylayne.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3 edition (January 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205708005
• ISBN-13: 978-0205708000
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 1 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > History
  • #20 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > How-to

More About the Author

Mary Warner Marien is the author of several books and hundreds of articles on photographic history, art history, and art criticism. She has taught courses on photography and art, photography and literature, as well as photographic history.

She is delighted to live in an era when photography and its history are being discovered by new photographers using camera phones and digital cameras.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent resource!, March 22, 2006

By 

R. Y. Tripp (CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photography: A Cultural History (Trade Version) (Hardcover)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The last word in the sociology of photography, September 8, 2011

By 

alan216 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photography: A Cultural History (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

The last word in the sociology of photography: a truly encyclopaedic tome. Warner proceeds from the invention of photography across genres ( war, documentary, social sciences, mass media, post-modernism, youth and beauty and so on) Her categories are broad-ranging, free and eclectic: even a cursory reading of the contents page is instructive! The format proceeds more or less chronologically through the photographers who have made their mark in photographic and art history, contextualising them within the time and the place ( this is neither a Euro nor Americo-centric work) including illustrations of their work with extended captions, a contextualisation of the genre in the history and then a brief summarising "retake" at the end of every chapter, a "focus" page on a topic or a person, all the way to the stirrings of digital technology. It's referenced, with a good bibliography: I cannot imagine a better single volume introduction to photographic criticism and appreciation. In style, it's dense, compacting a lot into a small space, but nonetheless very readable: to dip or to burrow into with equal pleasure. A desert island book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Histories of Photography, October 31, 2010

By 

cyee24 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Photography: A Cultural History (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

Needed this book for a Histories of Photography Class.
Ordered the 2nd edition expecting to see the cover that was pictured on this page,
but received an "imported version" with a totally different cover of the 2nd edition instead.
So far that's all that's really different.
Since I received something other than what I was expecting I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars.

The required edition for my course was the third one but this one works just the same.
Pages & order of content differ slightly, but the content seems not to have changed.

Actually quite easy for me to read in comparison to other history books I've read.
LOTS of pictures which I love :)