Review by Choice Review
This unique book, a delight for anyone interested in photography, focuses on the camera, from the camera obscura (1600s) to today's digital explosion. Very well illustrated and well written, it portrays a profusion of cameras taken from the Eastman House Collection, where the author is curator of technology. Gustavson presents photographs taken by the variety of cameras, including the first permanent photograph by Joseph Niepce (c.1826), and information on Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre's process (1839), which delivered sharp detail with a silvery surface. Also featured are Matthew Brady's Civil War photos; William Henry Jackson's western photos, which were a factor in Yellowstone becoming the first national park; and Eadweard Muybridge's motion photography, revealing secrets of kinesiology for the first time. Innovations in camera technology are abundantly displayed, many with period advertising: the Kodak Brownie (1900), placing photography in the hands of anyone; the Kodak Instamatic (1963), simplifying the process even more; the Polaroid Land Camera (c. 1972), providing instant photos; and digital cameras (late 1970s), revitalizing the field. The digital chapter is skimpy, which is understandable, given the proliferation of changes in this area. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. C. Larry Northern Illinois University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Gustavson's book is a history not of iconic images, but rather of the machines that made them possible. Examples, from the Eastman House in Rochester, N.Y., where he is curator of technology, show how innovative ideas became products and how those products made possible the progressive transformation of photography from amateur pastime into a business and a central component in the world of modern art. Major developments are discussed from the earliest wet plate cameras to the camera NASA used on the moon. Detailed captions provide both the technical information to satisfy enthusiasts and glimpses into the personalities of those who created the cameras. Over 350 color illus. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
