Geschichte der Photographie 1905

This is a book on the history of photography made by Josef Maria Eder in 1905. What I like about books is their physicality, like paintings, they're objects in the world. You can tell this one has been handled, read, and loved. The pages are yellowed and worn. Look closely, and you can see the way the type is set, letter by letter. Each page is a careful construction. A field of pale paper made to hold the heavy weight of words. That off-white paper! You can see its fibers, bits of stuff that give it texture. Paper like this makes me think of early photography, all those processes of layering and waiting. There’s a relation, in my mind, between the darks and lights of a photograph, and the darks and lights of a printed page. Thinking about Eder’s book, I am reminded of the work of Ed Ruscha, particularly his artist books made in the 60s, such as "Every Building on the Sunset Strip". Both artists are interested in the book as a form, and the way that images and words can be combined to create new meanings. Art is always echoing, referencing, building upon what has come before. It's a conversation across time.