The Camera Never Lies: A Book of Extraordinary and Bizarre Photographs
trans. Keith Cameron; foreword by Cyril Fletcher (Webb & Bower, 1982)
A collection of black-and-white photographs from the early 1900s, mostly of French origin, with descriptions written as if contemporaneously. Many of the images are eye-catching; all are faded (reflecting the 1980s publishing date, pre- digital enhancement). The preserved hodgepodge of yesteryear twice-removed.
Photograph
by Ringo Starr (Genesis, 2015)
‘I just loved taking pictures and I still do,’ writes Ringo Starr; hence this big glossy book that pairs his photographs with skerricks of unpretentious memoir (primarily pre-Beatles and Beatlemania). As with the music, Ringo had the best seat in the house.
Australia: 160 Iconic Images Celebrating What Makes Us Different
by Bruce Postle (Affirm, 2016)
Part art, part historical record, part opportunistic novelty, photojournalist Bruce Postle’s collection captures many different aspects of life in Australia, preserving images of a developing nation from the 1920s onwards (some earlier pictures being taken by his father Cliff, also a photojournalist).
The Alice Behind Wonderland
by Simon Winchester (Oxford University Press, 2011)
Starting from a picture Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) took of seven-year-old Alice Liddell, Winchester examines how the off-kilter allure of Wonderland derived in part from Dodgson’s failed attempts to capture childhood’s essence through wedding his two budding obsessions: photography and Alice.