The Oxford Companion to the Photograph  (Hardcover)

For this companion, which is international in scope, editor Lenman (retired, University of Warwick) assembled more than 1,600 entries, of which approximately 800 cover photographers, past and present, and others affiliated with photography. Remaining entries deal with countries, photographic terms and technology, genres, photographic themes (for example, Sociology and photography), and other topics. Several one- to two-page special essays (for example, "Inner-German Border Photography, 1952-1989") are interspersed throughout the volume, as are about 300 photographs, 48 of which are color plates. Article length varies from a short paragraph to several pages (as in the four-and-a-half-page Germany). Content leans toward the historical and theoretical rather than the practical. For example, Lighting and lighting equipment describes key light, fill, and effects lights, then traces the historical development of lighting in photography. Biographical entries emphasize contributions to photography. Entries on countries and photographic themes cover a wide range. Even more diverse, entries on photographic genres cover the popular (e.g., Photojournalism, Sports photography) and the less popular (e.g., Exploration photography, Zoo photography).
Within articles, an asterisk by a word indicates a separate entry. Some articles offer see also references; many also contain short bibliographies, in some cases listing non-English publications. Articles conclude with the initials of one of 180 contributors. Additional features include a thematic table of contents, a chronology, a topically arranged bibliography, a list of key Web sites arranged by type of site and country, and an "Index of People and Companies."

With articles covering such current topics as the Camera phone, Internet, and Photoblogging, this title updates older resources. Similar in scope to The Photography Encyclopedia (Schirmer, 1999), it is appropriate for both scholars and general readers. An affordable, useful tool for academic and public libraries. Stephen Fadel
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