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On Photography

By Walter Benjamin and Mr Walter Benjamin
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Walter Benjamin's On Photography offers a compelling exploration of the medium's origins and its profound impact on society. Featuring the pivotal essay 'A Short History of Photography' (1931), Benjamin examines the work of early photographers like David Octavius Hill and Nicephore Niepce, placing their creations within rich social and historical frameworks. This volume also presents a selection of Benjamin's other notable writings on photography, including pieces previously unpublished or translated into English for the first time.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Essential reading for students and enthusiasts of photography, art history, and cultural studies seeking critical insight into the evolution of photographic art and its broader cultural implications.

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On Photography presents a new translation of Walter Benjamin’s 1931 essay ‘A Short History of Photography’, as well as a selection of Benjamin’s other writings on photography, some of which are published here for the first time in English.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Walter Benjamin's essay A Short History of Photography (1931) made bold statements about photographic pioneers such as David Octavius Hill and Nicephore Niepce, and the social and historical context of their work.

This first selection of Benjamin's writings on photography includes a new translation of this influential essay as well as a range of Benjamin's other writings, both published and unpublished, some of which are translated into English for the first time here.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781780235257

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 September 2015

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Reaktion Books

Illustration: 31 illustrations

Contributors:

  • Edited and translated by Esther Leslie
  • Edited by Esther Leslie
  • Translated by Esther Leslie

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 120.0mm

Height: 200.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 160

Collections

Arts & Culture Mr Walter Benjamin Non-Fiction Photography Books Walter Benjamin

About the Author

Esther Leslie is Professor of Political Aesthetics in the School of English and Humanities at Birkbeck, University of London. She is the author of Walter Benjamin: Overpowering Conformism (2000), Hollywood Flatlands: Critical Theory, Animation and the Avant-garde (2002) Synthetic Worlds: Nature, Art and the Chemical Industry (Reaktion, 2005), and the editor and translator of On Photography by Walter Benjamin (Reaktion, 2015).

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