Last week I finished reading this book, which is, simply put, about early-mid 20th century American photography. It traces the elements which might identify one photographer into the next. (ie. Walker Evans photographed an abandoned plantation in Mississippi in the 1920s; ten years later Edward Weston photographed the same plantation. etc) tying together a whole half century of photography.

Sometimes this book was a tad slow, usually when it delved into the personal lives and dramas of the photographers instead of their work. On the whole I enjoyed it and it definitely introduced me to new photographers, while expanding on the work done by those who I already know from one or two iconic images.

One of these new favorites of mine is Dorothea Lange - best known for the photo of a migrant mother during the Depression. The one in this book that I liked even better, though, was this:

Walker Evans was another one I hadn't known before, as was Robert Frank with his photos of lonely roads, car trips, and drive-in theaters:

There were more I won't mention here, but if you're interested at all in this era of documentary photography - this is a fantastic introduction to the work of the period. Plus, it definitely got my own juices flowing as I found new subjects to photograph.