I am not a fan of list writing. They are by nature subjective and exclusive, good books get left out and those chosen are either included based on personal bias or to keep publishers happy. Despite this I get asked to recommend books on a regular basis so I guess there must be a need for an objective, independent list. You may say that no list can be truly objective and you would be right, but I have done my best. However, these lists* (there will be more dealing with other areas of practice) are certainly independent, I have no skin in the game concerning advertising or reviews.
I hope you find this list interesting, useful and of course if possible please support independent book sellers and avoid online mega-stores when purchasing. A list of independent sellers is included at the end of the list:
Street Photography Now by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren: Thames and Hudson, 2011.
Fred Herzog: Modern Color by David Campany, Michael Koetzle, Jeff Wall: Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2016.
Made in Dublin by Eamonn Doyle: Thames & Hudson, 2019.
The Suffering of Light: Thirty Years of Photographs by Alex Webb: Thames and Hudson, 2011.
Joel Meyerowitz: Where I Find Myself: A Lifetime Retrospective: Laurence King Publishing, 2018.
Forever Saul Leiter by Margit Erb, Michael Parillo, Otake Akiko, Saul Leiter: Thames and Hudson, 2022.
Ernst Haas: New York in Colour, 1952-1962: by Phillip Podger: Prestel, 2020.
Harry Gruyaert by Francois Hebel: Thames and Hudson, 2015.
One, Two, Three, More by Helen Levitt and Geoff Dyer: Powerhouse Books 2017
The Street Photographs of Roger Mayne by Mark Haworth-Booth: Zelda Cheatle Press 1986.
Shirley Baker by Shirley Baker: Mack 2019.
Grafters by Colin Jones and Mark Howarth-Booth: Phaidon 2002.
Young Meteors by Martin Harrison: Jonathan Cape 1998.
The Man in the Crowd: The Uneasy Streets by Gary Winogrand and Ben Lifson: Distributed Art Publishers 1999.
Bystander: A History of Street Photography by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz: Laurence King Publishing 2017.
Vivian Maier: Street Photographer by Vivian Maier and John Maloof: Powerhouse Books 2011.
Unseen: London, Paris, New York: Photographs by Wolfgang Suschitzky, Dorothy Bohm and Neil Libbert 1930s-1960s by Katy Barron, Michael Berkowitz, Zelda Cheatle, Jessica Feather, Saskia Rubin: Ben Uri Gallery & Museum 2016.
*Other books are available.
Check these guys out before spending your money:
https://photobookstore.co.uk
https://www.photobookjunkies.com
www.abebooks.co.uk
https://beyondwords.co.uk
http://clairederouenbooks.com
Dr. Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, a working photographer, documentary filmmaker, BBC Radio contributor and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019). His film Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay was first screened in 2018 www.donotbendfilm.com. He is the presenter of the A Photographic Life and In Search of Bill Jay podcasts.
© Grant Scott 2022
Great list of books. I have a few of them, I’m missing lots other 🙂