Photographs are everywhere. They have the power to shock, idealize or seduce, they create a sense of nostalgia and act as a memorial, and they can be used as evidence against us or to identify us. This title examines the ways in which we use these omnipresent images to manufacture a sense of reality and authority in our lives.

Investigates various aspects of photography - aesthetic, documentary, commercial, and technical and places photos in their historical context. This book explores the diverse roles that photography has played in the communication of ideas. It also devotes attention to topics such as portraiture, documentation, advertising, and photojournalism.

This is a mini edition of The Photography Book , containing every sort of photography, from pictures of famous events such as the Royal Wedding and the first landing on the moon, to familiar shots by the masters of photography such as Bill Brandt and Henri Cartier-Bresson.