Here at last is a concise critical history of photography which explains by what criteria we can judge one photograph to be better than another, what is special about the photographic recording of images, what in fact is the essence of photography both in itself and in relation to other visual art forms. This brilliant study provides a unique guide to the critical issues through the examples of the greatest photographers in the world, from Fox Talbot, the father of photography, to the masters of today. 136 illus., 8 in color.