"If the photographic life were a treasure hunt, The Magnum Photobook is a rightfully vaunted treasure chest. Fred Ritchin and Carole Naggar's introduction expanded my understanding of how the photobook, as expressed early and continuously by Magnum photographers, plays a critical role in defining and expressing a photographer's voice beyond the settings of assignment-based work. Then learning about the creation of each book is the richest of rewards, made all the more so by a final section of the book that shows the early iterations of many of the photobooks. This book about books is one that I must have in the library." —Mike Davis, Alexia Tsairis Chair for Documentary Photography, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University
"Magnum Photobook is essentially a book about books, but look closer and it's so much more than that." —Amateur Photographer
"Beautifully illustrated and informative...a valuable reference." —Library Journal
"A 'greatest hits' of visual storytellers." —Huck, Noora Ismail
"Contextualizes the evolution of the photobook through the lens of Magnum's publications and photographers... An extensive bibliography of 1,000 photobooks refreshed with the perspective and reflection... An illuminating account of the systemic narrative of the photobook... An attestation to the authority and standing the particular medium of the photobook has had in our cultural panorama throughout the twentieth century to contemporary times." —Museemagazine.com
"A fascinating insight into the evolution of the photo book." —Digital Camera
"Impressive... Fred Ritchin and Carole Naggar's methodical approach offers a true insight into the creative process behind seminal works such as Robert Capa's Death in the Making and Henri Cartier-Bresson's The Decisive Moment... The definitive record on the subject, this is a refreshing approach to revaluating and celebrating Magnum's history." —Black & White Photography
"A beautifully illustrated browsable book... An exhaustively researched catalog." —Photo-Eye
"Inspirational... Offers [a] fascinating insight into the working practices of some of its greatest talents in the agency's 70th year."—Professional Photography
★ 09/15/2016
When people think about photographs they may picture only the image itself, not its context. Yet context is crucial. Photobooks (bound collections of the work of one or more photographers, organized on a given theme) have been produced almost as long as the form itself. This beautifully illustrated and informative catalog raisonné is an excellent accompaniment to Phaidon's three-volume work The Photobook: A History. It documents photobooks "conceived, authored, and published" by members of the Magnum Agency, a cooperative founded in 1947 that has counted as members the most influential photojournalists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Listing over 1,000 first-edition Magnum photobooks, it includes catalog descriptions with publisher information, dimensions, and a thumbnail photograph of each book cover. Extensive notes by Ritchin (dean, Sch. at International Ctr. of Photography) and Naggar (cofounder & special projects editor, PixelPress) discuss 100 of the books in depth, emphasizing the creative freedom and aesthetic possibilities the medium afforded these artists. VERDICT A valuable reference that will inform and delight those interested in photojournalism, as well as book and graphic design.
