Creature from the Blog Lagoon 2: The Life Library of Photography

When I was but a wee lad (okay, in my teens) I owned the complete set of the Life Library of Photography. Over the years the books disappeared, but in the last year I’ve managed to rebuild the set, minus some of the annual books. There were two editions - the first, with black and white photos on the cover, and the second edition with color photos. I had the first edition and that’s what I reconstituted.

So what’s so special about these books? Aside from the nostalgia for me personally, they cover the history, art and technology of (pre-digital) photography in a way a nerdy teen could understand. Some of the top photographers of the day, not to mention the top photographers of all time, were featured. Great education and great inspiration.