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OVERVIEW • The third and final volume in Phaidon’s acclaimed Photobook series, hailed as ‘the most important contribution to the field since modern histories of photography began to appear in the early 20th century’ (photo-eye) • This comprehensive study of the contemporary photobook brings the history of the genre fully up to date, highlighting over 200 books dating from World War II to the present day • Photographer Martin Parr and co-author Gerry Badger offer a fresh approach to photographic history, focusing on the development of photography in its published form and covering key genres such as conflict, memory, society, place and desire • Features well-known photobooks, such as Ryan McGinley’s The Kids Are Alright (New York, 2000) and Paul Graham’s A Shimmer of Possibility (2009), alongside new discoveries and lesser-known works such as Tano d’Amico’s E il ‘77 (1978) and Mao Ishikawa’s Hot Nights in Camp Hansen (1982) • Richly illustrated with over 800 newly commissioned colour photographs SPECIFICATIONS • Hardback • English • 290 x 250 mm, 11 3/8 x 9 7/8 in •320 pp • 900 colour illustrations ABOUT THE BOOK Following the success of volumes I and II of The Photobook: A History (published in 2004 and 2009 respectively), this is the third volume bringing this study of the photobook fully up to date, with specific exploration of the contemporary, postwar photobook. It covers key themes including the globalization of photographic culture, the personalization of photobooks, the self-publishing boom and the new 'layered' photobook approach. While the history of photographs is a well-established canon, less critical attention has been directed at the phenomenon of the photobook, which for many photographers is perhaps the most significant vehicle for the display of their work and the communication of their vision to a mass audience. Volume III, co-edited by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger, expands this study and history of the photobook further. It explores the symbiotic relationship between the contemporary propaganda book vs. the protest photobook, sex and youth culture, photographers examining their own environments and the impact of the Internet and social media on the nature of the photobook, among much else. The book is divided into 9 thematic chapters, each featuring general introductory text providing background information and highlighting the dominant political and artistic influences on the photobook in the period, followed by more detailed discussion of the individual photobooks. The introductory chapter texts are followed by spreads and images from over 200 books, which provide the central means of telling the history of the photobook. Chosen by Parr and Badger, these illustrations show the most artistically and culturally important photobooks in three dimensions, with the cover or jacket and a selection of spreads from the book shown. ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S) The work of Martin Parr bridges the divide between art and documentary photography. His studies of the idiosyncrasies of mass culture and consumerism around the world, his innovative imagery and his prolific output have placed him firmly at the forefront of contemporary art. His recent publications include Luxury (2008) and Life Is a Beach (2012). A member of the international photo agency Magnum, Parr is an avid collector of books and a world authority on the photobook. Gerry Badger is a photo historian, architect and critic. He regularly writes and lectures on photography and has curated a number of exhibitions. His published books include Collecting Photography (2003) and monographs on John Gossage and Stephen Shore, as well as Phaidon’s 55s on Chris Killip (2001) and Eugene Atget (2001). In 2007 he published The Genius of Photography, the book of the BBC television series of the same name, and in 2010 The Pleasures of Good Photographs, an anthology of essays that was awarded the 2011 Infinity Writers' Award from the International Center of Photography, New York. CHF 115.-.

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