Photography's best books are often the photobooks themselves — sequences designed by the photographer to be read cover to cover — alongside a smaller body of history and criticism that explains how to look at them.
Documentary and travel photography from the early and mid twentieth century is also an irreplaceable historical record, especially of places and ways of life that have since changed beyond recognition.
Where to start
On Photography — Susan Sontag, 1977. The essays that set the terms for writing about photographs.
Camera Lucida — Roland Barthes, 1980. A short, personal meditation on the photograph.
The History of Photography — Beaumont Newhall, 1949. The classic history, revised through 1982.
Looking at Photographs — John Szarkowski, 1973. One hundred MoMA pictures, each with a page of commentary.
The Americans — Robert Frank, 1958. The most influential photobook of the century.
Photography Books in stock (84)
Mentawai shaman, keeper of the rain forest by Charles Lindsay — $13.28 Mentawai Shaman, Keeper of the Rain Forest (Aperture, 1992) is a photobook with journals by Charles Lindsay and a historical essay by Reimar Schefold.
Expedition Naga by Peter Van Ham, Peter van Ham, Jamie Saul — $9.19 Expedition Naga: Diaries from the Hills in Northeast India 1921-1937, 2002-2006 is a illustrated travel and photographic account by Peter van Ham and Jamie Saul, with a foreword by Alan Macfarlane, published by the…
Buddhist Himalayas by Olivier Föllmi — $42.96 Buddhist Himalayas is a photography book with photographs by Olivier and Danielle Föllmi and Matthieu Ricard, published by Harry N. Abrams in 2002, with a contribution by the Dalai Lama.
The Autonomous Region by Kathleen Jamie, Sean Smith — $7.91 The Autonomous Region: Poems & Photographs from Tibet is a 1993 Bloodaxe Books collection of poems by Kathleen Jamie and black-and-white photographs by Sean Mayne Smith.
Living Tibet by Nanci Rose — $22.11 Living Tibet: The Dalai Lama in Dharamsala is an illustrated book with photographs by Bill Warren and text by Nanci Hoetzlein Rose, published by Paljor Publications, India, in 2002.
Journey to enlightenment by Matthieu Ricard — $14.23 Journey to Enlightenment: The Life and World of Khyentse Rinpoche, Spiritual Teacher from Tibet is a photographic biography of the Nyingma master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, with photographs and narrative by Matthieu…
The Mountain Kingdom: Portraits of Nepal and the Gurkhas by B. M. Niven — $8.10 The Mountain Kingdom: Portraits of Nepal and the Gurkhas is a photographic book by Col. Bruce M. Niven, published by World Wide Publications in 1987.
www.tibet.chin.com by Kadir van Lohuizen — $26.95 A Dutch-language photobook (Mets/Scoop, 1999) by the Dutch photojournalist Kadir van Lohuizen on Tibet today.
Caravans of the Himalaya by Éric Valli — $7.15 A photographic account by Eric Valli and Diane Summers (Thames & Hudson, 1995) of the salt caravans of Dolpo in northwestern Nepal, where Tibetan-speaking traders cross the Himalaya with yaks.
Tibet by Helfried Weyer — $10.57 A German-language illustrated book on Tibet, Tibet: Wahrheit und Legende, with photographs by Helfried Weyer and texts by Martin Grassnick, Horst Kitzki and Roland Nyffeler, and a foreword by the 14th Dalai Lama…
Offerings by Danielle Föllmi, Olivier Föllmi — $5.63 Offerings: Moments of Mindfulness from the Masters of Tibetan Buddhism by Danielle and Olivier Follmi (Abrams, 2016, 288 pages), a pictorial book of photographs paired with teachings and quotations from Tibetan Buddhist…
Paul Strand: Photographs 1910-1974 by Hirschl and Adler Galleries — $20.78 An exhibition catalogue from Hirschl & Adler Galleries (1981) presenting photographs by Paul Strand from 1910 to 1974.
Nomads of Western Tibet: The Survival of a Way of Life by Melvyn C. Goldstein — $24.70 A study of pastoral nomads in western Tibet, with photography and text by Melvyn C. Goldstein and Cynthia M. Beall (Serindia, 1989).
The Kathmandu Valley by Kerry Moran — $8.19 A photographic book on the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal with an introduction by Kerry Moran and photographs by Fredrik Arvidsson (Shambhala, 1998).
Himalayan Mysteries by Jitendra Pant — $33.25 A pictorial book on the religious mysteries of the Himalaya, Himalayan Mysteries, edited by Jitendra Pant with an introduction by Ganesh Saili and photographs by Thomas L. Kelly and others (Roli Books).
The Forgotten Peoples of Siberia by Fred Mayer — $19.00 A book of photographs of the indigenous peoples of Siberia by Fred Mayer, The Forgotten Peoples of Siberia (Distributed Art Publishers).
The Chinese Century: A Photographic History by Jonathan Spence, Annping Chin — $28.50 A photographic history of twentieth-century China by Jonathan Spence and Annping Chin, The Chinese Century (Endeavour Group, 1996), with Colin Jacobson and Annabel Merullo also credited.
Zheng He by Michael Yamashita — $14.25 A photographic retracing of the voyages of the Ming dynasty admiral Zheng He by the photographer Michael Yamashita (Rizzoli, 2006), subtitled Tracing the Epic Voyages of China's Greatest Explorer.
Gesichter Tibets by Friedemann Berger — $40.85 Gesichter Tibets ("Faces of Tibet") is a German-language photobook by Friedemann Berger, published by Gustav Kiepenheuer in Leipzig in 1990.
Himalaya by Ashvin Mehta — $11.63 Himalaya: Encounters with Eternity by Ashvin Mehta, published by Thames and Hudson in 1985.
Whispered Prayers: Portraits and Prose of Tibetans in Exile by Mandala Mandala Publishing — $8.53 Whispered Prayers: Portraits and Prose of Tibetans in Exile, photographs and text by Stephen R. Harrison, with a foreword by the Dalai Lama and essays by Anthony Storr and Vicki Goldberg (SOS Talisman Press, 2006).
Himalayan Mysteries by Jitendra Pant, ed. — $23.75 Himalayan Mysteries, edited by Jitendra Pant with an introduction by Ganesh Saili and photographs by Thomas L. Kelly and others (Roli Books, 2004).
A Day in the life of China by David Cohen — $7.26 A Day in the Life of China, a photographic portrait of China published by HarperCollins in 1989, made by 90 photojournalists who each documented the country on a single day, April 15, 1989.
Peter Henry Emerson and American Naturalistic Photography by Christian A. Peterson — $28.49 Peter Henry Emerson and American Naturalistic Photography by Christian A. Peterson, published by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2008.
The Portfolios of Ansel Adams — $7.55 The Portfolios of Ansel Adams, with an introduction by John Szarkowski, published by New York Graphic Society in 1981.
The Photographs of Margaret Bourke-White by Sean Callahan — $7.89 The Photographs of Margaret Bourke-White by Sean Callahan, published by New York Graphic Society in 1972.
Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer by Arthur Lubow — $10.98 Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer by Arthur Lubow, published by HarperCollins in 2017.
Kenneth Johnson : Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art - 1983 by Lynne Warren, Carl Chiarenza, Kenneth Josephson — $20.59 An exhibition catalogue for the Kenneth Josephson show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (March 26 to May 22, 1983), with texts by Lynne Warren and Carl Chiarenza (72 pages).
Say, Is This the U. S. A. by Margaret Bourke-White, E. Caldwell — $32.30 A photo-text book on the United States by Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White, first published in 1941; this is a 1977 paperback reprint from Da Capo Press.
Lucien Clergue THE INTIMATE PICASSO 2009 Clothbound — $15.78 A book of photographs of Pablo Picasso by the French photographer Lucien Clergue, The Intimate Picasso, published by Louis Stern Fine Arts in 2009 (104 pages).
Man Ray : American Artist by Neil Baldwin — $9.88 Man Ray, American Artist by Neil Baldwin, a biography published by Crown in 1988 (first edition).
Maritime New York in Nineteenth Century Photographs by Harry Johnson, Frederick S. Lightfoot — $16.14 A collection of historical photographs of the New York waterfront by Harry Johnson and Frederick S. Lightfoot, published by Dover in 1980 (176 pages).
Au Tibet des rebelles Golok by Jacques Raymond — $23.50 Au Tibet des rebelles Golok is a French-language illustrated book on the Golok of eastern Tibet, written and photographed by Jacques Raymond, with a preface by Michel Peissel.
India by Martin Hürlimann — $28.49 India is a photographic survey of the country by the Swiss photographer Martin Hürlimann, published in New York by The Viking Press as a Studio Book in 1967.
Offerings from Nepal by Lisa Choegyal, Craig Potton — $18.60 Offerings from Nepal is a photography book by Craig Potton with an essay by Lisa Choegyal, published by Craig Potton Publishing in 2000 (128 pages, paperback, in English).
The last Africans by Gert Chesi — $5.72 The Last Africans is a 1977 illustrated ethnographic photography book by Austrian photographer Gert Chesi, who also wrote the text and designed the layout, with drawings by Rudolf Kreuzer.
Kazakhstan by Klara Serikbaeva — $22.44 Kazakhstan is an illustrated country portrait with text by Klara Serikbaeva and photographs by Dragoljub Zamurovic, published by Flint River Press in 1995.
Objects of Myth and Mystery by Corson Hirschfeld — $46.05 Objects of Myth and Mystery is a 1995 art catalogue by the photographer Corson Hirschfeld, self-published under his own name.
Land Of Pure Vision The Sacred Geography Of Tibet And The Himalaya 2014 by David Zurick — $8.53 Land of Pure Vision: The Sacred Geography of Tibet and the Himalaya is a 2014 illustrated book by geographer David Zurick, with a foreword by Éric Valli, published by the University Press of Kentucky.
Dolpo: Hidden Land of the Himalayas by Eric Valli and Diane Summers — $19.88 Dolpo: Hidden Land of the Himalayas is a photographic book by Eric Valli and Diane Summers, published by Aperture in 1987.
Loin: Autour Des Annapurnas by Claude Vincent and Serge Deschamps — $28.49 Loin: Autour des Annapurnas is a French-language photobook of the Annapurna region of Nepal, with photographs by Serge Deschamps and text by Claude Vincent, published by Publications Jean Suard in 1982.
Visions of Tibet: Outer, Inner, Secret by Brian Kistler — $11.90 Visions of Tibet: Outer, Inner, Secret is a photographic book with photographs by Brian Kistler and an introduction by Robert Thurman, edited and designed by Thomas F. Yarnall.
Japan in Pictures 1945-1951 by Stuart Griffin — $28.49 Japan in Pictures 1945-1951 is a spiral-bound pictorial record of the Allied Occupation of Japan, credited to Stuart Griffin and published in Tokyo by Tokyo News Service, Ltd. in 1951.
Yal ñen che baʼi Bod by Manuel Bauer — $28.49 Shadow Tibet: images of contemporary reality is a 64-page book of photographs by Manuel Bauer, published in 1998 by the Amye Machen Institute (A-myes-rma-chen Bod kyi rig gźuṅ źib ʼjug khaṅ).
English Country: A Series of Illustrations by Geoffrey Grigson — $13.25 English Country: A Series of Illustrations is a book of photographs of the English countryside, published by B. T. Batsford in London and New York in 1952, with an introduction by Geoffrey Grigson.
Jule Ladakh! by J. R. Llavori Romatet — $26.95 Jule Ladakh! is a photography book on Ladakh by the amateur photographer Juan Ramon Llavori Romatet, self-published in 2001 and printed by Evagraf in Spain.
Faces: Portraits of Tibet by Hiroyuki Nagaoka — $38.00 Faces: Portraits of Tibet is a book of photographs by Hiroyuki Nagaoka, published in 2000 by Toyoko Ozeki.
Tibet by Propst — $28.49 Tibet is a 1982 photography book by R. L. Propst, published by The Propst Co. in paperback.
Visions of Tibet by Brian Kistler — $11.90 A book of photographs by Brian Kistler with an introduction by Robert Thurman (Tibet House US in association with Overlook Duckworth, 2006).
Photographic Views of Edinburgh Scotland by Archibald Burns — $902.50 An album of photographic views of Edinburgh, Scotland, by the Edinburgh photographer Archibald Burns.
The Hidden Himalayas by Thomas L. Kelly — $5.68 A book of Himalayan photographs by Thomas L. Kelly with text by V. Carroll Dunham (Abbeville Press, 1987, 200 pages), centred on the Jumla district of western Nepal.
Ladakh: Between Earth and Sky by Siddiq Wahid — $5.68 A book on Ladakh with text by Siddiq Wahid and photographs by Kenneth R. Storm Jr., titled Ladakh: Between Earth and Sky (Edita, 1981; W.W.
Ladakh by Heinrich Harrer — $10.57 A German-language book on Ladakh by Heinrich Harrer (Umschau Verlag, 1978; 1980 edition, 171 pages), subtitled Gotter und Menschen hinterm Himalaya (gods and people behind the Himalaya).
Tibet by Julia Wilkinson — $28.49 A Dutch-language illustrated book on Tibet in the Elmar Landenreeks (country series), with text by Julia Wilkinson and photographs by Magnus Bartlett, J. M. Jardine, Richard Lanchester, James Montgomery, Herman How Man…
Voyage en Mongolie by Etienne Dehau — $28.49 A French-language photographic travel book, Voyage en Mongolie, with text and photographs by Etienne Dehau (Herme, 2000).
Himalayas by Alain ChenevieÌre, Alain Chenevi¿re — $6.58 The Himalayas by Alain Cheneviere (Konecky & Konecky, 1999, 237 pages), with text and photographs by the author, translated by Lenore Maltz-Riguet.
Signes, espaces by Olivier Föllmi — $25.48 Signes, espaces, a French-language photobook by Olivier Follmi (Olizane, 1985, 143 pages), conceived and produced with Jean-Claude Silvy.
I Volti del Tibet Segreto by Fosco Maraini — $25.58 An Italian-language book of photographs of Tibet by Fosco Maraini, the Italian ethnologist, photographer and writer who travelled there.
The Aura of Alfred Stieglitz by Sandy Pearl — $23.96 A catalogue by Sandy Pearl, published by Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts (2006), titled The Aura of Alfred Stieglitz.
Lhasa: Tibet's Forbidden City by Frank and Christine Brignoli — $20.90 Lhasa: Tibet's Forbidden City, by Frank and Christine Brignoli, published by Creative Focus (1987).
Tibet by Julia Wilkinson — $9.64 An illustrated book on Tibet by Julia Wilkinson (Chartwell Books, 1988), in large format with colour photographs.
Image Tibet by Charles Berger — $27.50 Image Tibet by Charles Berger, a 30-page pictorial work published by Artisan Press in 1973.
The Alps by Shiro Shirahata — $66.50 A book of photographs of the Alps by Shiro Shirahata, published by Rizzoli International Publications in 1979.
Behold the Moutains: Climbing with a Color Camera by Frank S. Smythe — $25.65 A book of colour mountain photographs and climbing narrative by Frank S. Smythe, published by Chanticleer Press in 1949.
Tibetan Voices: A Traditional Memoir by Brian Harris — $12.35 Tibetan Voices: A Traditional Memoir, a book of photographs by Brian Harris published by Pomegranate in 1996.
Explorations, 1860-1930 by Jean-François Mongibeaux — $28.50 Explorations, 1860-1930 by Jean-François Mongibeaux, published by Éditions Place des Victoires in 2010, with text in English, German and Dutch.
Das Antlitz Indiens by Erik Singer — $61.75 A German-language photographic book on India by Erik Singer, published by the Prague publisher Artia in 1960 under the title Das Antlitz Indiens (The Face of India).
Man Ray by Marina Vanci-Perahi — $7.55 Man Ray by Marina Vanci-Perahim (Abrams, 1997, 64 pages) is a short illustrated introduction to the American artist and photographer Man Ray.
China in a Mirror by Roland Michaud, Sabrina Michaud — $28.26 China in a Mirror by Roland and Sabrina Michaud, published by Flammarion in 2008 with a preface by Cyrille J.-D. Javary.
Multiple Exposure The Group Portrait in Photography 1992 Leslie Tonkonow by Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery — $17.10 Multiple Exposure: The Group Portrait in Photography (1992), an exhibition catalogue by Leslie Tonkonow published by the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery at Wesleyan University.