I second Mr. Newhall's book. It is pretty good if a little dated (for 20th century stuff). I have a feeling that what you will find is that there is no single book that is best for the last 60 years worth because there have been SOOOOOO many things happening. It might come down to maybe one book plus hand-out (check that fair-use copyright applies here) exceprts from other books or sources. Heck, digital negatives and their use in alt processes as has been discussed here has enough history (at least 10 years now) that it could be a class all by itself! :)
Another thought, you might get in contact with this fellow : http://photohistory.jeffcurto.com/
Mr. Curto teaches a photo history course and his podcasts are great fun to listen to.
Rob Young
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:43:41 -0400
From: dhbloomfield@bellsouth.net
Subject: Re: Off topic, photo history text question
To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
Francis,
I've always thought Beaumont Newhall's, ' History of Photography,' is very good- though written a while ago and also covers the beginning of photography as well. I have that book and have always liked it for reference, though I'm sure there are many others, perhaps written more recently, and in a more engaging style. Still, I've always liked it. I would think anything written by Peter Bunnell, on that particular period, would be worth investigating, too. And I don't have this book, nor have I seen it, but a friend of mine (who teaches) mentioned it to me once-- Robert Hirsch's 'Seizing the Light: A History of Photography.' Again, not sure of the exact years that one covers, but my friend seemed to think it was worthwhile.
Diana
On Oct 29, 2008, at 12:59 PM, francis schanberger wrote: Dear list,
Sorry this is off topic but I need to draw upon the collective wisdom of the group. For the last few years I have been teaching alt processes and black and white photography. Next semester I have been handed an assignment of teaching a second semester photo history class covering the years 1945 to the present. Can anyone point me towards a text that strongly deals with this time period?
It could be a text book covering the entire history but preferably it would be more specific to the last half of the twentieth century and most importantly, still in print.
-francis schanberger
www.frangst.com
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