This is a very different book to the other book I have by Ian Jeffery, The Photo Book. Whereas The Photo Book takes you on a whistle-stop tour of the development of photography over the last 150 years by showing the reading iconic and significant photographs taken through that period, whether by recognised photographers or not. Photography: A Concise History takes a more academic route.
In the blurb on the back of the book is described as “explor[ing] the essence of photography both in itself and in relation to other visual art forms, explaining by what criteria we can judge one photograph to be better than another and analysing what makes the photographic recording of images so special.”
This seems to be a fairly accurate description, the book is written in an accessible tone and each chapter can be described as an essay, making it easy to dip into the relevant parts of the book without having to wade through the whole book (if necessary). However, its tone and presentation make it a book you want to sit and read.
Again I feel this is book that will a constant companion throughout my further OCA studies.