"The Photograph" by Graham Clarke*

I have finished reading this book.  It is an attempt to answer the question 'How do we read a photograph' and this is done by presenting the reader with a large number of photographs (128) believed to be representative of both the historical development of photography and its main subject areas.  By the very selection the author excludes those photographs that may or may not support his thesis.

Inevitably the author places himself between the reader and the photograph by giving his interpretation of what is offered so that it is very difficult to 'read' the image afresh and then test your view against that offered by Clarke. You can learn a great deal about Clarke's view of the world by how he interprets each image.

Clarke does offer interpretations that are valid but they are his interpretations and are therefore only valid in a limited sense. Other interpretations are equally as valid and as we are not made privy to the reasoning of the original photographer we are left with having to make a choice or simply accepting that in the case of photography there are many versions of the truth. We should be very reticent in imposing our world view on anything particularly when interpreting the work of others.

Having said that there is a great deal to learn from the book particularly if thought is given to what is being said rather than accepting or dismissing it out of hand.