Publisher's Synopsis
Until now, anyone interested in researching photography of the nude was forced to spend a considerable amount of time trying to find sources. With this volume the task of locating creators will be much easier. As can be judged from the works included here, there is a tremendous variety of approaches and styles in photography of the nude. This revised edition features at least 100 new pages.
Anyone working in the field of visual arts, especially photography, should find this volume useful. The primary emphasis in selecting works for inclusion was visual. The focus is on photography of the nude, and not commentary on the nude. Thus, book reviews are not listed. Most importantly, the major criteria for inclusion was publication. If a photographic work was published, then it was a legitimate candidate for citation. Nudes from public or private collections (e.g., libraries, galleries, and museums) are thus not included.
Photographers have been working for 170 years on this most challenging of subjects, and their work deserved better organization. Five sections comprise the bibliography, with the addition of a glossary. The first is the largest, and consists of an alphabetical arrangement of annotated citations. The second concerns photographer's models, because there is at least some literature on these vital characters. Third, related articles. Fourth, a list of reference works and sources used in compiling this bibliography. The glossary defines technical terms found in the annotations.
This work continues where the first edition of 1993 left off. Much has changed in the publication of photography of the nude, and it comes down to one word: internet. The first edition was published during the advent of the World Wide Web, personal computers (PCs), and digital photography. It is critical to leave a record for students of the subject many centuries from now, when most of these books will have been lost forever. Some photographic prints from some of the creators may well last many centuries from now, but this book might be the only record of what many more have done. Preservation of the historical record is vital to the integrity of civilization.
