We quote from the introduction:
"The ambition of this project was to provide a useful resource of the entire scope of photography in the twentieth century. It was neither to be a definitive technical manual nor a compendium limited to the field's aesthetic achievements, but something more. The aim was to create an encyclopedia that would serve as a resource and a tool for a wide readership of students, researchers, and anyone interested in a scholarly discussion of photography history."
"The encyclopedia introduces the reader to the history of technical issues that have changed over a hundred-year period. It explains the contributions of photographers and situates their contribution within the history of photography. It defines the concepts, terms, and themes that have evolved over a century. It describes the role of institutions and publications in the shaping of that history. Importantly, the encyclopedia also explains the development of the medium in specific countries and regions around the world—offering a global understanding and a more local perspective of photography history.
This is the main purpose of the encyclopedia, to define the broad outlines and fill in the intimate details of twentieth-century photography. The user will find the large and small of twentieth-century photography. The project gathers information on the most often cited names, terms, concepts, processes, and countries, and it also gives ample attention to those most overlooked. Significantly, it provides the historical and theoretical contexts for understanding each entry so that the expanse of photography history in both its distinct and its partial developments is maintained throughout.
As a resource, the encyclopedia supplies the reader with tools for finding information. Extensive cross-referencing allows the reader insight into the various directions a topic or individual entry may lead: historical, theoretical, or technical. A glossary of terms directs the reader to definitions, describes processes as they were standardized at the end of the century, and gives technical information on photographic terminology, equipment, and accessories. In addition to an alphabetical listing of articles, the articles are also listed by subject to help orient the reader. Subjects are straightforward: equipment; institutions, galleries, and collections; persons; publications and publishers; regions; topics and terms. Each article is signed by the contributing scholar; readers can find a list of contributors in the front matter of volume one. Scholarly references are included at the end of each article so that the interested individual may further explore the topic in more detailed publications. Over 200 illustrations and glossy inserts in each volume will aid the reader's understanding of the articles, but the illustrations are not intended to be the strength of the encyclopedia. This is a work of scholarship, a book intended to be read rather than viewed—we point the readers to resources that contain the thousands of photographs that constitute twentieth-century photography. Finally, the analytical index serves as a critical tool that systematically guides the reader through the contents of the three volumes. The index directs the reader to discussions of sought for information but also allows the reader to explore the contents and discover related items of interest."
"All entries feature bibliographies or further reading lists. Topics on individuals feature a Capsule Biography for quick reference and a list of Selected Works. Photographers also receive a listing of selected Individual and Group Exhibitions, with as complete information as is available detailing those exhibitions. Websites are occasionalyy given for governmental agencies, established institutions - especially museums - as well as for some foundations or individual archives."