Photobooks are Bodleian’s biggest donation of century


MORE than 2,300 rare photobooks have­ been­ given­ to­ the­ Bodleian­ Libraries including work from some of the most renowned photographers from the 20th century like Man Ray and­Robert­Capa,­Henri­Cartier-Bres- son and Diane Arbus. The library said: “A collection of this size and breadth is particularly rare and its size makes this one of the largest donations to the Bodleian Libraries so far this century.” Photobooks are designed to share the photographic work of individual photogra- phers, groups, studios or collectives. Many titles are produced in very small editions and are therefore very rare. In addition to this they are vulnerable to light and damage caused by handling so any in good condition are highly collectable. The photobooks were given to the Bodleian


Libraries by Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey, founder of the Chadwyck-Healey publishing group and Environmental Risk Information and Imaging Services. Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian,


said: “The Chadwyck-Healey collection of photobooks is a major acquisition for the Bodleian, immeasurably enriching our holdings through adding highly significant materials from European, Russian, Japanese and American photographers. This collec- tion has great strengths including French Surrealist and avant-garde photography, the scarce work of the Russian constructiv-


ists, and the major American photographic movements. Photography is an area of growing scholarly importance, and it is vital that a great research library like the Bodleian is able to document in depth this crucial means of communicating visual ideas in the modern world.”


The photobooks donated to the Bodleian


Libraries include Man Ray Photographies 1920-1934 (1934) – An extremely rare mod- ernist/surrealist photobook and Man Ray’s first monograph which begins with a portrait drawing of Man Ray by Pablo Picasso.


Equally high profile are Henri Cartier-Bres-


son’s The Decisive Moment (1952) and Robert Capa’s Slightly out of Focus (1947). Cartier-Bresson’s is believed to be one of the most influential photobooks of all time and the donation includes both the US and French edition with presentation inscriptions from the photographer and dust wrapper designed by Matisse. Capa’s features iconic images of the D-Day landings at Normandy, taken by the Hungarian-born photojournalist and co-founder of the famous Magnum photographic agency.


March 2020


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 9


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