Photographic Theory - by Andrew E Hershberger (Paperback)

About the Book

This book presents a compendium of readings spanning ancient times to the digital age that are related to the history, nature, and current status of debates in photographic theory. The book offers an authoritative and academically up-to-date compendium of the history of photographic theory, and represents the only collection to include ancient, Renaissance, and 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century writings on the subject.

Book Synopsis

Hershberger is the winner of a 2015 Insight Award from the Society for Photographic Education for his work on this book and for his overall contributions to the field!

Photographic Theory: An Historical Anthology presents a compendium of readings spanning ancient times to the digital age that are related to the history, nature, and current status of debates in photographic theory.

• Offers an authoritative and academically up-to-date compendium of the history of photographic theory
• Represents the only collection to include ancient, Renaissance, and 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century writings related to the subject
• Stresses the drama of historical and contemporary debates within theoretical circles
• Features comprehensive coverage of recent trends in digital photography
• Fills a much-needed gap in the existing literature

From the Back Cover

PHOTOGRAPHIC THEORY
An Historical Anthology

Edited by Andrew E. Hershberger

"A canonical volume long overdue, smartly constructed, comprehensive and up-to-date, Hershberger's introductory commentaries are thoughtful, and insightful. Readers uninitiated and scholarly alike will find much to appreciate. Highly recommended!"
Fredrik Marsh, Guggenheim Fellow

"Hershberger brings the theoretical lineage of photography together in a delightful chronology from early notions of the image to today's digital revolution. It constructs a historical framework for the novice, and provides titillating insights for the cognoscenti."
Robert Ladislas Derr, The Ohio State University

Photographic Theory: An Historical Anthology offers contemporary readers a comprehensive resource of pertinent articles and information spanning the history of photographic theory, including critical texts first published in Alfred Stieglitz's seminal journal, Camera Work.

Chronologically-organized readings address the entire sweep of photographic theory and thought--from its pre-history and emergence circa 1839; through its evolution within Pictorialism, Modernism, and Postmodernism; and into its startling metamorphosis within contemporary digital imaging. Interdisciplinary issues such as photography's relationships to vision, identity, history, and memory are also examined. Readings reveal the main debates and issues surrounding the nature of photography: What is photography? Is it objective, subjective, transparent, and/or transcendent? Is a photograph a document, a trace, a fetish, an index, and/or a work of art? Is digital photography "photography" at all? Etc. Embodying the entirety of photographic intellectual history, Photographic Theory vividly illustrates the dramatic storylines and impassioned debates that continue to swirl within photographic theory--and is a volume that is certain to click with scholars and students alike.

Review Quotes

"There can be no question that those of us who teach the history of photography - and our students - have been put most deeply in Hershberger's debt." (History of Photography Online, 1 June 2015)

"This chronologically (and, to a lesser extent, thematically) organized selection of key contributions to photographic theory display both the highly exciting diversity of theoretical questions raised by the emergence, development, triumph, and eventual metamorphosis of photography and the amazing possibility to organize the sometimes savage heterogenity of this material along unobtrusive and simple art-historical lines." - Leonardo Online (1 February 2014)

"...our students need more reference books such as this one with a clear theoretical focus and a special attention to clarity. ...this important book will undoubtedly be instructive and rewarding for a variety of readers; it would seem to be essential for libraries in Anglophone universities. In a world of infinite commentary about images, theoretical reflections are much needed and this comprehensive book provides many useful answers. In sum, Hershberger's Photographic Theory aptly reconfirms Wiley-Blackwell's excellent reputation for companions and readers in the visual arts and cultural theory." - British Journal of Aesthetics, (June 2016)

"Judging from this selection and the intuitive organization of the texts, it is clear that Hershberger knows his field very well. ...In his abundant selection, the editor achieves an appreciable balance between the famous essays by the indispensable authors (like Erwin Panofsky or Rudolph Arnheim) and, by contrast, some interesting discoveries of essays by lesser-known theoreticians." - British Journal of Aesthetics, (June 2016)

About the Author

Andrew E. Hershberger is Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History and Chair of Art History at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. He has published numerous journal articles in History of Photography, Art Journal, Early Popular Visual Culture, Analecta Husserliana, Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Academe, and Arts of Asia.