This beautiful collection of works of great photographers is organized chronologically into six sections: 1840 to 1860; 1860 to 1880; 1880 to 1900; 1900 to 1920; 1920 to 1940; and 1940 to 1960. In each section, outstanding photographers are featured from that period with a bit of biographical information, why the artists were notable, and plates showing their most famous pictures.

In addition to the artists and works themselves, the editors discuss the various movements in photography and how they evolved, whether pursuing realism with the special challenge of depicting war and its ravages, or figuring out how to reveal “inner landscapes.”

What stands out to me in the collection is how mesmerizing these photographs are, and especially the excellence of the earliest pictures. This is a book you can leave out on the coffee table and peruse again and again without losing any of the pleasure of making new discoveries or just experiencing the sheer pleasure of appreciation of great art. ( )

Brief overviews of particular photographers, grouped every twenty years from 1860 through 1960. How does a Life survey not include Margaret Bourke-White, of all people? She had the very first cover of Life! Of the sixty-seven photographers featured, only two are women -- Julia Margaret Cameron in the 1860-1880 section and Dorothea Lange in 1920-1940.

This ties into a criticism of the Time-Life Photography series as a whole, which is that it is apparently almost inconceivable that a woman would be behind the lens instead of in front. Almost all of the photographers and movements feature throughout the series. This volume exists purely to canonize, which makes its exclusivity disappointing.

Even so, some great photographs. ( )