Light Readings: A Photography Critic's Writings, 1968-1978

by A.D. Coleman, Shelley Rice (Introduction)

It could be said that when he commenced publishing his Latent Image column in the Village Voice in May 1968, A.D. Coleman invented the concept of the photography critic. With that first essay, which opens this classic collection of his early writings, Coleman introduced the idea that photography as a medium merited the full-time attention of a working critic. From then until now, he has steadfastly exemplified the complex possibilities of such a role within our photographic culture. Considered essential reading for all students of the medium since it was published in 1979, this selection of more than eighty of Coleman's essays charts the medium's dramatic evolution during an explosive period in its history, and simultaneously tracks his own exploration of the diverse functions inherent in his chosen task as a "public critic." this new edition includes four additional essays, among them his provocative observations on John Szarkowski and Susan Sontag. Widely and favorably reviewed when it first appeared, Light Readings has since become a standard reference work on the medium and a frequently assigned classroom text. It remains the single best first-person chronicle of the years that it covers.

Genres: Photography

341 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Book Of Essays On Photography I've Read

I wish I had read A. D. Coleman's "Light Readings" years ago when I was studying photography. I have no doubt I would have become a much better photographer than I am now, taking to heart his profound commentaries on photography when it became accepted finally as one of the fine arts. Not only was A. D. Coleman the first major photo critic in photography's history, his early essays set a literary and intellectual standard which few have attained. In this newly revised, updated edition of "Light Readings", Coleman offers us some fascinating remarks on the Museum of Modern Art and its pivotal role in shaping the direction of fine art photography, most notably through the personal tastes of John Szarkowski, its autocratic director of the photography department. In one of the unpublished essays now appearing in the current edition, Coleman offers a harsh criticism of a book regarded by some as an important collection of photographic criticism, written by a well known novelist and essayist. Those interested in reading some of the most important themes and issues confronting photography in the late 1960's to mid 1970's will find Coleman's book an invaluable resource. And yet, it is more than just an important first-hand history of photography, but a thoughtful, penetrating look at the medium by one of its most astute critics.