{"id":788,"date":"2023-08-05T13:17:31","date_gmt":"2023-08-05T13:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mposborne.com\/?page_id=788"},"modified":"2023-08-05T13:17:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-05T13:17:31","slug":"the-library","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/writing\/the-library\/","title":{"rendered":"The Library"},"content":{"rendered":"

Books on visual culture, photographic theory, art history and other related things<\/h2>\n

A list of photography, visual culture and art-history related books.<\/p>\n

When many people think of ‘photography books’, they often think about the technique books like ‘How to photograph X‘<\/em>. However, while these do have a place, especially if you’re starting out in photography, they don’t really tell you the why<\/em> of photography. This is where many of these books come into play. Lots of photographers may not be too concerned with this, and that is completely fine, but others may want to delve deeper into the theories that underpin and ground many aspects of photography.<\/p>\n

From my point of view, reading the theories behind photography and learning about visual culture and art history, has given me a greater appreciation for photography and art in general. This informs my own practice, leading on to creating better, more meaningful images.<\/p>\n

I love books and started to build up a nice little collection for my own interest in photography and to extend my knowledge of art history when I stated my Open University study. My Masters degree had a huge reading list, but being an interdisciplinary course some books are not too relevant for photography, but does cover the critical side of things rather well (hence a lot of critical theory books).<\/p>\n

My initial idea for this page was to post up the book along with a very short review, but this was very time consuming. I may add in a few descriptions for key books as time goes on, but I’ve split things into rough groups as not all the books would be useful to everyone. I have read if not the whole book a relevant chapter in all the below, and own most of them. (I’ve left out all the journal articles as they are very specific and would more than double the list)…<\/p>\n

Pro Tip:<\/strong> Many of them are available second hand through Amazon for very reasonable prices (how I buy most of mine).<\/p>\n

Art History & Theory<\/h2>\n

BRILLIANT, R.,1997. Portraiture. <\/em>London: Reaktion<\/p>\n

CAMPBELL, L., M. FALOMIR, J. FLETCHER and L. SYSON, 2008. Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian. <\/em>London: National Gallery<\/p>\n

D’ALLEVA, A., 2012. Methods and Theories of Art History<\/em> (2nd ed). London: Laurence King Publishing<\/p>\n

FARTHING, S. (ed), 2016. Art The Whole Story,<\/em> London: Thames & Hudson<\/p>\n

FOSTER, H., 1996. The Return of the Real: The Avant-Garde at the End of the Century<\/em>. Cambridge, MA: MIT<\/p>\n

GOMBRICH, E.H., 1995. The Story of Art <\/em>(16th ed). London: Phaidon<\/p>\n

General Art & Artists<\/h2>\n

BRYANT, J., & S. WEBER, (eds) (2017) John Lockwood Kipling: Arts & Crafts in the Punjab and London, <\/em>Newhaven: Yale University Press<\/p>\n

CLAYTON, M. (2018) Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing,<\/em> Royal Collection Trust, London<\/p>\n

DONNITHORNE, A (2019) Leonardo da Vinci: A Closer Look, London: <\/em>Royal Collection Trust<\/p>\n

KEMP, M. (2006), Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man<\/em>, Oxford: Oxford University Press<\/p>\n

MELVILLE, J. (2003) Julia Margaret Cameron – Pioneer Photographer,<\/em> Thrupp: Sutton Publishing<\/p>\n

OLSEN, V. C. (2003) From Life – Julia Margaret Cameron and Victorian Photography, <\/em>London: Arum Press<\/p>\n

SYSON, L. (2011) Leonardo Da Vinci Painter at the Court of Milan<\/em>, London: National Gallery Company Limited<\/p>\n

Visual Culture & Culture<\/h2>\n

CORSANE, G. (ed), 2005. Heritage, Museums and Galleries: An Introductory Reader.<\/em> London\/NY:Routledge<\/p>\n

CRANE, S. A. (ed), 2000. Museums and Memory. <\/em>Stanford:Stanford University Press<\/p>\n

EDWARDS, E. and J. HART (eds), 2004. Photographs Objects Histories: On the Materiality of Images. <\/em>London\/NY: Routledge<\/p>\n

ROSE, G., 2015. Visual Methodologies <\/em>(4th ed). London: Sage<\/p>\n

STURKIN, M. & CARTWRIGHT, L., 2009. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture<\/em>, 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press *<\/p>\n

TINKLER, P., 2013. Using Photographs in Social and Historical Research. London: Sage<\/em><\/p>\n

DURDEN, M. and C. RICHARDSON, 2000. Face On: Photography as Social Exchange. <\/em>London: Black Dog Publishing
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

SAID, E. W., 1994. Culture and Imperialism.<\/em> London: Vantage<\/p>\n

SAID, E. W., 2003. Orientalism.<\/em> London: Penguin<\/p>\n

Photographic History & Photography<\/h2>\n

BATCHEN, G., 2000. Each Wild Idea:Writing Photography History. <\/em>Cambridge MA: MIT Press<\/p>\n

CHAUDHARY, Z. R., 2012. Afterimage of Empire: Photography in Nineteenth Century India. <\/em>Minneapolis\/ London: University of Minnesota Press<\/p>\n

COTTON, C., 2004. The Photograph as Contemporary Art. <\/em>London\/NY: Thames and Hudson<\/p>\n

SCOTT, C., 1999. The Spoken Image: Photography and Language. <\/em>London: Reaktion<\/p>\n

SEKULA, A., 2016. Photography Against the Grain: Essays and Photoworks 1973-1983. <\/em>MACK<\/p>\n

TAGG, J., 1988. The Burden of Representation: Essays on Photographies and Histories. <\/em>London: Macmillan<\/p>\n

TRACHTENBERG, A. (ed), 1980. Classic Essays on Photography.<\/em> New Haven: Leete’s Island Books<\/p>\n

HIRSCH, M.,1997. Family Frames: Photography, Narrative and Post Memory.<\/em> Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press<\/p>\n

Critical Theory<\/h2>\n

BARRET, T., 2000. Criticizing Photographs <\/em>(3rd ed). California: Mayfeild<\/p>\n

BARTHES, R. and S. HEATH, 1977. Image, Music, Text: Essays selected and translated by S Heath<\/em>. Fontana<\/p>\n

BARTHES, R. and R. HOWARD, 2000. Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography<\/em>. London: Vintage<\/p>\n

BENJAMIN, W., 2008. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction<\/em>. London: Penguin<\/p>\n

BERGER, J., 1977. Ways of Seeing. <\/em>London: BBC\/Penguin<\/p>\n

BERGER, J., and G. DYER, 2013. Understanding a Photograph<\/em>. London: Penguin<\/p>\n

BOURDIEU, P., 1984. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Translated by R. Nice. <\/em>Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press<\/p>\n

BOURDIEU, P., 1990. Photography: A Middle-brow Art. <\/em>Cambridge: Polity Press.<\/p>\n

BURGIN, V., (ed) 1982. Thinking Photography. <\/em>London: Macmillan<\/p>\n

BURGIN, V., 1986. The End of Art Theory: Criticism and Postmodernity.<\/em> London: Macmillan<\/p>\n

CLARKE, G., 1992. The Portrait in<\/em> Photography. <\/em>London: Reaktion<\/p>\n

DEBORD, G., 1983. Society of the Spectacle<\/em>. Detroit: Black and Red<\/p>\n

ELKINS, J. (ed), 2007. Photography Theory. <\/em>London\/NY: Routledge<\/p>\n

FRIDAY, J., 2002. Aesthetics and Photography<\/em>. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd<\/p>\n

LA GRANGE, A. (ed), 2005. Basic Critical Theory for Photographers<\/em>. Oxford: Focal Press<\/p>\n

SONTAG, S., 1979. On Photography<\/em>. London: Penguin<\/p>\n

WELLS, L., 2015. Photography A Critical Introduction (5th ed).\u00a0<\/em>London\/NY: Routledge **<\/p>\n

ZIADY DeLUZE, R., and J. ELKINS, (ed), 2007. Landscape Theory. <\/em>London\/NY: Routledge<\/p>\n

Philosophy<\/h2>\n

DERRIDA, J., 1987.\u00a0The Truth in Painting Translated by G. Bennington and I. McLeod.<\/em> London\/Chicago: University of Chicago Press<\/p>\n

FLUSSER, V., 2007. Towards a Philosophy of Photography. <\/em>London: Reaktion<\/p>\n

FOUCAULT, M., 1989.\u00a0The Order of Things<\/em>: An Archeology of the Human Sciences. <\/em>London\/NY: Routledge<\/p>\n

KANT, I., 2009. Critique of Judgement<\/em>. Oxford: Oxford University Press<\/p>\n

ROSS, S. D., (ed) 1994. Art and Its Significance: An Anthology of Aesthetic Theory (3rd ed). <\/em>New York: New York University Press ***<\/p>\n

WALDEN, S. (ed), 2008. Photography and Philosophy: Essays on the Pencil of Nature.<\/em> Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing<\/p>\n

Psychology<\/h2>\n

FORRESTER, F., 2000. Psychology of the Image. <\/em>London: Routledge<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

* A very good introduction to Visual Culture, good Glossary and well written.<\/p>\n

** A reader.<\/p>\n

*** This is a reader and has a lot of very useful texts on Aesthetic theory and philosophy, and surmises key texts by Kant, Derrida, Foucault etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Books on visual culture, photographic theory, art history and other related things A list of photography, visual culture and art-history related books. When many people think of ‘photography books’, they often think about the technique books like ‘How to photograph X‘. However, while these do have a place, especially if you’re starting out in photography,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1129,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-788","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/788\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.mikeosbornecreative.co.uk\/2025\/mpo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}