Book of 101 Books: The Physicality of Photography Books

A review of "Book of 101 Books" (edited by Andrew Roth, PPP Editions/Roth Horowitz LLC, 2001) examines the physical design of seminal 20th-century photography books. Drawing on Paul Valéry's concept of the book as both a reading machine and an art object, the selection emphasizes layout, typography, format, binding, paper, jacket design, and print quality. The volume includes diverse publications—from luxury editions to mass-market paperbacks, textless works to illustrated literature, small pamphlets to large folios. Each of the 101 entries features reproductions of covers and double-page spreads, with detailed descriptive notes. The review highlights how avant-garde publications like Laszlo Moholy-Nagy's "Malerei Photographie Film" (1925), Moï Ver's "Paris" (1931), and El Lissitzky's "Industriia Sotsializma" (1935) pioneered graphic design, contrasting them with more conservative works like Edward Weston's "Fifty Photographs" (1947). Jacket designs by Alexey Brodovitch for André Kertész's "Day of Paris" (1945) and by Charles Peignot for Brassaï's "Paris de nuit" (1933) exemplify successful collaborations between photographers and designers. The review also notes Richard Prince's "Adult Comedy Action Drama" (1995), which features photographs of bookshelves and aligns with Valéry's focus on objects and bodies, offering a stimulating reflection on the future of print.