Texas is one of the notorious states in the US that have banned varied books over the years. From titles that LGBTQIA+ supportive or BIPOC voices, about 47% of these books have been deliberately removed from schools and libraries. You may think Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kamfp is also a part of this list, but you will be surprised to know that it was never shelved. Instead, the Texas Criminal Justice Department (TDCJ) chose to ban photo books, many of which do not feature any problematic content. Here is a look at which photo books are no longer a part of Texas prison libraries.
Complete Guide To Photography: John Hedgecoe
It is one of the best photo books for anyone who wants to learn about the medium. Published in 1995, the book features multiple step-by-step guides about the varied aspects of the medium and also includes several exercises for beginners to practice. This ranges from capturing portraits to still life as well as other genres like landscape and macro. Perhaps, due to the restrictions, the Taxes prison chose to ban it.
A History Of Photography. From 1839 To The Present: Taschen
One of the most famous photo books, this publication offers an overview of the most iconic images in the medium’s history since its beginning in 1839. For instance, images from French physiologist Étienne-Jules Marey and his multiple exposures to the iconic image on the cover by Harold E. Edgerton. One of the reasons for this could be the cellmates’ inability to carry the book to their cells. However, despite that, a ban seems a bit extreme on a publication that looks at innovations in photography.
National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Bob Caputo
This book is as educational as one can get about photography. It shares everything that goes into creating an excellent photograph, from composition to color and the use of light. Since it was published in 2003, the book has also shared about analog photography, such as manipulating film, exposure, and shutter speeds. One can also learn about techniques for genres like architecture, close-ups, portraits, and underwater.
The Photographer’s Mind: Michael Freeman
Michael Freeman has sold over 100,000 copies of the book in the US alone, and it is considered a great material for any beginner in the field of photography. The book highlights how creating photographs is more than the kind of gear you use, and it teaches you how you can hone your vision. It also shares how one can avoid cliché, as well as the “cynical nature” of fashion, style, mannerisms, and light. The book has over 400 images shot on real assignments, along with illustrations as to how they work.
Photographs 1934-1975: W. Eugene Smith
A complete monograph of W Eugene Smith‘s career, the book features over 300 images captured by the renowned American photojournalist. It features his iconic images, as well as images that have never been published before. In addition, the book also includes text from the photographer himself to offer a holistic perspective of his influential career. This includes photo essays such as Country Doctor, Spanish Village, Nurse Midwife, and Albert Schweitzer: Man of Mercy.
Travel And Nature Photography: Rick Sammon
Published in 2006, it is one of the photo books that teaches readers how to capture various genres on their travels or vacations to far-flung lands. It shares tips and techniques on how to compose a picture and even create portraits, landscapes, close-ups, panoramas, and more. Of course, this includes examples from Rick Sammon’s own excursions to over fifty countries, including Vietnam, Kampuchea, Guatemala, India, Alaska, Singapore, Maine, and Texas.
100 Photographs That Changed The World: Life Magazine
This photo book has been refreshed over the years, and with each edition, LIFE has tried to give us a look at the most iconic images from the past and the present. This includes Robert Capa‘s images from Normandy, Joe Rosenthal’s iconic image of Iwo Jima, and Eddie Adams’ and Larry Burrows’ photographs of Vietnam. In addition, it includes more recent images that inspire or change the world, such as 9/11 and Abu Ghraib. The publication is a celebration of still images and how pictures convey a story.
Photographs For The Farm Security Administration 1935-1938: Walker Evans
One of the era-defining documentary photographers, Walker Evans, has often highlighted the lives of Americans between the 1920s and the early 1970s. As part of his work, from 1935 to 1937, Evans documented rural America during the Great Depression while working for the Farm Security Administration. This work was largely focused on three families in southern Albalnam, which also became a part of a revolutionary photo book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. The images not just include people but also fleeting subject matter such as shop windows, rural churches, billboards, and architecture. This volume is a new introduction, with a commentary and introduction by David Company.
John Gutmann: The Photographer At Work
After fleeing Nazis in 1933, John Gutmann settled in San Francisco, where he worked as a photographer. During his time, Gutmann chronicled the American culture and its democracy in its hues and colors. As an outsider himself, Gutmann focused on individuals from Asian Americans, Black Americans, and gay communities. In fact, he even documented in India, Burma, and China during World War II. This photo book draws from his vast archive and showcases his familial and unseen works, as well as his love for painting and filmmaking.
Aperture Masters of Photography: Edward Weston
A renowned photographer from the 20th century, Edward Weston is one of the most influential figures in the medium. He is best known for his stark images of nature and still life, as well as nudes. This is one of his photo books that looks at Weston’s most prominent images, which he created over the span of forty years. This includes his Pictorialist works, images from Armco Steel, portraits from Mexico, still life, landscapes, and images from later years. The publication, thus, goes on to reveal “a thoroughly American genius–courageous, pure, troubled, unorthodox and utterly sure of its purpose.”