Photographic memory : the album in the age of photography

We cite from the COVER:
"Photographic Memory: The Album in the Age of Photography traces the rise of the album from the turn of the twentieth century to the present day, showcasing some of the most important examples in the history of the medium, as collected by the Library of Congress. The albums — many never before published — provide an immensely personal and idiosyncratic historical perspective through the many lenses of these unique objects. From an Alaskan expedition album of Edward Sheriff Curtis's early work, to Walker Evans's extended suite of images in study for Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, to a family album by Danny Lyon, this beautifully produced book provides an in-depth look at the history of photography through the handmade objects of some of its most famous practitioners. The book includes albums by photographers and filmmakers such as F. Holland Day, Jim Goldberg, Dorothea Lange, Duane Michals, Leni Riefenstahl, and W. Eugene Smith alongside lesser-known albums on subjects as varied as African-American vaudeville, the 1915 Jerusalem locust plague, and the folkways of Spain. Each album, beautifully reproduced over numerous spreads, is accompanied by a detailed explanatory text. An insightful history of the album format is included, as well as an informative essay about caring for and restoring albums. At a time when the physical collection of photographs is becoming largely immaterial through digital means, Photographic Memory looks at the tangible album — an art form in itself with its own history that reflects the shifting role of handmade artists' objects."